Following a fatal case of Equine Herpesvirus (EHV-1) at Kingston Riding Centre in Chessington earlier this month, one of the yard's clients has raised over £1,600 to meet the heavy costs of emergency biosecurity measures.

Maggie Walker, who is running the fundraising campaign, keeps her horse on the centre's yard and has reassured the local riding community that the yard's management and staff have reacted magnificently, following expert veterinary advice and implementing stringent safety protocols.

Maggie Walker keeps a horse at Kingston Riding Centre (Credit: Maggie Walker)

EHV-1 can cause respiratory illness, abortion in pregnant mares, and in rare cases, neurological disease that can be fatal.

While many horses recover, the virus is highly contagious and can be spread through direct contact or contaminated clothing and equipment, prompting neighbouring yards to tighten safety measures.

The source of the infection remains uncertain, though it is thought the virus may have been dormant in the affected horse, as many animals can carry EHV without symptoms and shed it during times of stress.

Kingston Riding Centre's containment programme — including 24/7 stabling, separate yard equipment, protective suits and gloves for all staff, and twice-daily temperature checks — has already shown success, with no new fevers recorded for more than 48 hours.

The cn=entre's staff and clients have to wear these suits to preventspread od thevirus (Credit: Kingston Riding Centre)

However, these essential precautions are costly and may need to continue for several weeks.

The yard has been working with vets and industry experts to contain the outbreak and protect the wider equestrian community.

Local stables such as Wildwoods Riding Centre have also shared messages of solidarity, encouraging riders to take extra precautions.

In an exclusive interview with Nub News, Walker said: "EHV1 is and uncommon but potentially very serious contagious disease of horses.

"Outbreaks usually occur on professional yards or at competitions where many horses from separate establishments are stabled together.

"The sudden death of a family horse was a great shock to her owners and the whole yard. Since this initial case the owners, management and yard staff ( with advice and support from our veterinary teams) have worked incredibly hard to implement strict biosecurity measures to protect the other horses, both on our yard and in the wider community.

"It is now two weeks since the initial infection, and the great news is that there have been no new infected horses for a week. This strongly supports the view that the measures taken have stopped the spread of the virus, which is amazing, and an unusually successful outcome.

"All the horses ( there are about 40) and having temperatures checked twice a day, all staff wear biosecurity suits ( different for each horse) and gloves, there is disinfectant outside each horse's stable, that boots are dipped in every time we go in and out. All the horses are stabled, so need lots of extra hay to eat."

She continued: "No horses are allowed on or off the yard, because they must not mix with any other horses.

"They are not allowed any turn out in a field and only those who have had no contact with any horse with a fever are allowed out for exercise, one at a time, only by their owner, or the yard staff in full biosecurity suits. 

"The costs of maintaining this are huge, unlike the NHS, all the disposables have to be paid for by the yard, gloves, suits, disinfectant etc. 

"All the clients for riding lessons have had to be cancelled so there is no income for the yard at the moment. This will continue for at least the next two weeks and if any other horse becomes unwell, the potential lifting of quarantine is further delayed."

Maggie Walker has set up a GoFundMe page to help tackle EHV-1 at the centre (Credit: Maggie Walker)

Speaking about her fundraising campaign, Walker said: "I've had wonderful support for the go Fund me from so many people locally and further afield who recognise the threat this could be to the wider community.

"In previous incidences of EHV1 outbreaks, less stringent containment has led to many more horses infected and more deaths.

"We are really grateful for the support and the recognition that this could happen on any yard. Kingston Riding Centre has done the responsible things and informed everyone this has happened so that the protection of everyone is the top priority, and it's been so cheering to see that people have recognised that and made contributions to help us keep going."

The centre's Day to Day Manager, Didi, and Yard Manager, Nicky, added: "We cannot thank Maggie enough for setting up a Go Fund Me Page to help us through this extremely challenging time.

"We really do appreciate her thoughtfulness from the bottom of our hearts. Our liveries and staff have also been amazing with their ongoing support.

"We thought we were out of the woods with only six days left in quarantine but sadly another horse from the only non infected barn has come down with a temperature therefore settling us back another three weeks which is totally devastating news.

"Our main focus is and always has been to keep every horse safe and we will of course continue to do this."

Walker hopes to raise £2,200 for the centre. You can donate to her GoFundMe page here.