KEVIN Ryan's North Yorkshire yard has been temporarily closed after one of his horses tested positive for Equine Herpes Virus-1 (EHV-1).

Only one case has been found to date in Ryan's string, but because of their proximity to the yard, the stables of Bryan Smart and Michael Herrington have also been quarantined as a precaution.

The British Horseracing Authority is working with Ryan, who is based at Hambleton near Thirsk, and his staff to ensure all correct disease control measures are in place.

David Sykes, director of equine health and welfare for the BHA, said: "Cases of the neurological form of EHV-1 are occasional and, while the disease can be extremely serious for the affected horses, with proper surveillance and disease control the virus can usually be effectively contained.

"While the risk of the virus being transmitted in a controlled raceday environment is relatively small, it is in theory possible that horses from the yard in question may have been infectious some time before the disease was diagnosed.

"For this reason we have taken measures to alert trainers, as well as racecourses and veterinary surgeons, to be vigilant to the clinical signs.

"The decision to close the further yards is based on the identification of risk factors, namely the proximity of yards and the sharing of horse boxes.

"These measures have been taken as a precaution, with the safety of the horse population very much in mind."

EHV-1 can cause respiratory disease, particularly in the younger population, but will also cause abortion in broodmares and can also cause un-coordination, paralysis and death. This is known as EHV-1 Paralytic/neurological Form.

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