Twenty years ago the Lloyd’s Equine Disease Quarterly was born. The inaugural commentary stated: "The purpose of the Equine Disease Quarterly is to provide accurate information highlighting an increase or decrease in the incidence of a particular equine disease or syndrome. It will also document the emergence of new or unfamiliar conditions."

In the first edition, the International Collating Centre report was 44 words long; now it fills an entire page at 600+ words. Why should the average horse owner even want to know about equine diseases on other continents? As was repeatedly emphasized at the October 2012 9th International Conference on Equine Infectious Diseases in Lexington, Ky., horses are worldwide travelers, and only through constant disease surveillance, testing, and communication can we further the understanding of disease incidence and spread. 

As an example, prior to 1999 the average horse owner had never heard of West Nile virus (WNV). In a few short years after its diagnosis in the United States, the first equine WNV vaccine was produced and now several vaccines are commercially available.

Twenty years ago, Hendra virus was unknown. While this disease is still foreign to North America, we can all learn valuable lessons on how the Australians have dealt with the disease since its emergence. In contrast, grass sickness has been a recognized equine disease for nearly a century, yet remains mysterious despite research efforts