I've just returned from the World Equine Veterinary Association (WEVA) Congress in Guaruja, Brazil. There were presenters and attendees from all over the world.

One of the topics by Drs. Des Leadon and Conny Herholz focused on where the world's horse populations exist, and where the threats from international spread of equine disease will come from and how.

While I'll cover this more specifically in an upcoming article in The Horse magazine and on TheHorse.com, a couple of points are good food for thought:

1) China, Mexico, and Brazil are the top three countries in the world based on horse population.

2) Many of the most heavily populated countries with equids have working animals (horses, donkeys, mules) that have minimal care.

3) There is a worldwide movement of horses and their products (i.e., semen and embryos).

4) The main risks to a country's equine disase risk (biosecurity) are importation of live animals, meat and meat byproducts, biological products (i.e., semen, embryos, plasma) through legal and illegal means.

The good news from these clinicians was that international collaboration and cooperation was alive and well.

But, it is up to us as horse owners, and our veterinarians, to be on the lookout for strange symptoms of diseases we might not recognize. If you think something doesn't look right, contact your veterinarian. They are our partners in protecting our horses, and our equine industry.