b'Were the only nation in the world thats never had strangles, she says. Also on their list of never-hads: equine influ-enza (EI), equine herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1), equine viral arteritis, equine infectious anemia, R. equi, Lyme disease, and piro-plasmosis. In fact, its disease-free status has made Iceland the go-to place for international equine scientists looking for negative control groups and naive popula-tions for infectious disease research.In the 19th century the government set up rigid official restrictions: zero animal imports or even returning animals into COURTESY DAN ARREOLA, DVMIcelanda rule still in effect today (except for dogs and cats, which have recently been granted controlled access), Bjrns-dttir says. That includes animal genetic material such as semen and embryos or blood products such as plasma. But its not just animals that are forbidden: Eruptions on volcanic islands like those in the Philippines put horses at risk of burns and respiratory Humans cant bring in used equestrianproblems due to hot ash.equipment, and any clothing has to be machine-washed and fully dried first. Its not only useful but also more practicala veterinarian based in Manila. The fact They dont always follow the rules,in such a restricted area. Weve alwaysthat volcanic activity occurs on an island though, she adds. Thats likely the sourcegot our eye out for strangles, but if a stateis doubly treacherous, he says, because of the few outbreaks we have had, shelike California were trying to monitor itshorses and animals get trapped on the says. Iceland was hit with a novel strain ofpath, thats all theyd be doing, Monizisland during the eruption. Streptococcus zooepidemicus in 2010, andexplains.The horses that came under my care the bacteria have been circulating in itsWhile mainland goals might be tohad symptoms of pneumonia from inhal-70,000-strong horse population ever since. contain epidemics, island goals are toing ash, with greenish yellowish dis-A less restrictive, but nonetheless con- eliminate the pathogen from their bor- charge from nostrils, high fever, refusing servative, import policy keeps Hawaiianders completely, says Lucy Richardson,to eatessentially textbook pneumonia, horses mostly disease-free, says Jason D.DVM, owner and senior veterinarian atwhich we treated aggressively with antibi-Moniz, DVM, program manager of theCedarTree Vets Ltd. and national headotics, he says. Some had serious burns Hawaii Department of Agricultures Ani- veterinarian of Bermuda for the Fdra- from falling ash, although fortunately mal Disease Control Branch. With rigidtion Equestre Internationale (FEI). Intheir winter coats helped protect them.biosecurity requirements that mandatethe face of any outbreak, we lock downEarthquakes and tsunamis also cause disease testing, inspection, and quaran- the entire stable and implement strictextensive destruction, producing ca-tine on the U.S. mainland before importbiosecurity guidelines, she says of thelamitous trembling and sending crashing to the states Pacific islands, theyre ableBritish Isle 900 miles east of the Southwaves onto inhabitants and the build-to keep their roughly 7,000 horses essen- Carolina coastline.ings in which they live. We know that tially safe from pathogens.tsunamis arent a matter of if, but when, We dont have (the right) ticks, so weNatural Disasters Moniz says.dont see tick-related diseases, MonizIslands very nature often puts themThats why many islands have stables says. Although Hawaii has the rareat significantly higher risk of naturaldesigned with such disasters in mind, equine epidemicincluding a 2019 stran- disasters compared to mainland conti- says Jaime Masters McDowell, secre-gles outbreak in a group of polo horsesnents. Many islands are volcanic, andtary general of the Bermuda Eques-that spilled over to roping horses insome still have active volcanoes. Hawaiitrian Federation. Our barns have walls the same barnit generally maintains aand Iceland, for example, both had erup- and roofs that are built to withstand disease-free status for strangles, EI, Lyme,tions in 2018 and 2010, respectively. Hothurricane-force winds, she says. Theypiroplasmosis, and all strains of EHV.lava and burning ash present significantalso have their own generators for pump-Hawaii officials also require gener- health risks to all life, including horses.ing water and have storage areas for ous use of insecticide on newly arrivedIndividual barns usually have disasterstocks of feed, bedding, and hay, and barn horses, he says. Were not supposed toplans in place, to know where to taketeams and owners all pitch in to prepare. have competent vectors for many equinehorses if they need to get them away fromWe knowto be sure they have lots of diseases, but we always worry about vec- lava flow, says Moniz.hay and water in case its hard to get to tors that arent recognized as competentLava and ash killed hundreds of horsesthem.but end up being competent after all.used in the tourist industry when theNatural disaster threats are a normal Ongoing surveillance further safe- Taal volcano erupted in the Philippinespart of island life, says Moniz. We just guards equine health on islands, he says.in January 2020, says Dan Arreola, DVM,learn to roll with the punches, he says.TheHorse.com|The HorseAugust 202023'