All horses staying or racing at Tampa Bay Downs in Tampa, Fla., during the 2010-2011 racing season will be required to test negative for equine piroplasmosis (EP) before admission to track stabling, according to a statement on the Florida Thoroughbred Breeders and Owners Association's website.

Stable and lead ponies, in addition to racehorses, must display a negative EP test result on their health certificates. The mandate comes following a recommendation from the Florida Department of Agriculture.

"All horsemen have indicated compliance and we are not expecting any problems," says Margo Flynn, vice president of marketing and publicity at Tampa Bay Downs.

Flynn says that both Gulfstream Park in Hallandale and Hialeah Park in Hialeah will also require EP testing

Create a free account with TheHorse.com to view this content.

TheHorse.com is home to thousands of free articles about horse health care. In order to access some of our exclusive free content, you must be signed into TheHorse.com.

Start your free account today!

Already have an account?
and continue reading.