The vaccine may leads to the relaxing of a ban by the European Union on the movement of South African thoroughbreds and associated long-time worldwide quarantine issues.

The IHSC, in conjunction with the World Organisation for Animal Health, has supported a number of research projects aimed at addresssing critical equine health and disease issues to improve the international movement of horses.

Louis Romanet, chairman of the IHSC, believes the new vaccine would “deliver a far-reaching positive impact on horse sports around the world”.

South Africa has been badly afflicted by the ban and Romanet plans to work to ease the bans that has forced the country’s racing into almost compete isolation.

“We are confident that a new vaccine would be transformative for horse movements in and out of South Africa, which have been impacted by African Horse Sickness for too long,” said Romanet.