Horse competitions throughout America have been thrown into disarray by the spread of Equine Herpes-1 Virus (EHV-1). All horse disciplines are affected and all horses are at risk, including children’s ponies. While there are  few confirmed cases (given the large amount of horses within America), the mere possibility of your horse contracting the virus strikes fear in all horse owners. Add to this dilemma: early symptoms can be misleading.

In researching this article, the official information keeps bouncing in all directions. It appears the equine health boards are scrambling to piece together the information as it unfolds. They are at a disadvantage because the virus acts differently in every horse. Some horses appear ill very quickly and go from seemingly healthy to being euthanized within days. Yet other horses incubate the virus, even though they are actually unwell, their symptoms are not as noticeable, making it harder for owners to realize their horse needs immediate quarantine and vet assistance.

After many published articles in (mainly) American horse magazines, blogs and websites, blaming the onset of the virus to horses competing in championships in Utah, five days ago this information was recanted.

May 28th: According to TheHorse.com, “While the western United States and Canadian horse industry is struggling with EVH-1, a new case of the virus has been confirmed by the Texas Animal Health Commission, in Texas. Officials do not believe this case is related to the ongoing outbreak. However, all horses at that facility are now under indefinite quarantine.”

Dr. Ellis G. Farstvedt, DVM, MS, ACVS stated, “The exact source of the virus of the EHV-1 outbreak is still unknown.” Prior to this statement, opinions were held that the virus somehow surfaced at the National Cutting Horse Association’s Western Championship, in Ogden, Utah. According to TheHorse.com, “Some horses at this event did have signs of disease, but upon tests at the CSR Equine Sports Medicine Center in Bozeman, Montana, there was no indication of infectious disease in these horses.” Farstvedt continues, “In past years we’ve seen sick or febrile (fever) horses at the event, but not this year,”  TheHorse.com reported.

May 30, TheHorse.com released the following statement: “Several horses present at the April 29-May 8 National Cutting Horse Association’s Western National Championship in Ogden, Utah, have since been diagnosed with the neurologic form of equine herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1), and many of the horses present at the event were apparently exposed to the disease. The disease has spread into several states as exposed horses travelled home and to other events, with cases currently being treated in equine hospitals including those at Washington State University, Colorado State University, the University of California, Davis, and likely several more. At least seven horses have died or been euthanized because of the severe disease.”

The Texas quarter horse racehorse, mentioned earlier and stabled in West Texas, is still not considered to be related to the on-going EHV-1 outbreak. However, 12 horses from Texas did compete at the Cutting Championships in Utah, and their 174 stablemates are all under “movement restrictions.”  Eight facilities in Texas remain quarantined, states TheHorse.com.

In Washington State, USA, Bettijean Collins and her two daughters were excited to commence their show season. The  girls love eventing, while mum, Bettijean, has fallen in love with Dressage. Bettijean explains, “May thru to September are big competition months in the Seattle area, because the ground dries up enough for good footing, for horses. May 22nd was my first recognized show and it was cancelled just days before the event. The girls’ events begin in June. We’ve been told our horses may need a health certificate from a vet, that is completed within 72 hours of the event.”

Bettijean continues, “Facilities with exposed horses in Washington State went on voluntary quarantine right away.  Many other local barns are also adopting the voluntary quarantine policy too of no horses in and no horses out. But there are some stable managers at barns who think the entire situation is ‘no big deal’. Vets do not agree with this thinking at all, as the virus is reported to survive in many different ways, like surface areas, etc.”

Contagious outbreaks cause havoc for all riders. There is the on-going worry your horse will already be infected, even though you can’t see any visible effects. This causes owners to become hyper-vigilant, often causing a domino effect in the horse, causing the horse to worry too. There is also the threat of your barn being listed as “Indefinite Quarantine.”  No horse going in and no horse going out.

Most people who attend competitions have already invested massive amounts of training and lessons, for months on end, in preparation for the commencement of the competition season. Everything is invested in starting the season on a good note. Training schedules are rigid, systematically stamping out all areas that could go wrong. Horses are in peak athletic condition. Riders are focused and single minded on the job ahead of them: making sure their horse is given every opportunity to perform at it’s highest level.

Horse competitions are held every weekend somewhere across the United States. Long before any horses are loaded into transports, diaries are written up, cheques are sent off to pay for entry fees, and lesson after lesson is taken; not to mention the aches and pains of training, the large and small injuries, and so on. But the joy of finally achieving the movement required overrides any aches and pains.

All of this is removed in an instant, immediately when a rider hears the word “quarantine.”

Not only are seasoned professional horse/rider combinations affected, but also the many people who trained hard all year in preparation for their first season of competitions. Pony clubs and local riding clubs all have shadows cast on them during this time. Event organizers are also in a mess because of this virus. They do not want to be liable for holding shows and possibly exposing more horses to the virus. At the same time, the clubs who have had to cancel events are losing thousands of dollars in needed funds.

Mercifully, the wild horse mustangs have been unaffected from the EHV-1 virus. As a precaution, the Bureau of Land Management have asked the public to contact them before bringing domestic horses onto agency-managed lands, according to TheHorse.com.

Symptoms

EHV-1 is highly contagious and has many symptoms, varying from horse to horse. Any nasal secretion will contain the virus, whether the nose is runny or not. Veterinarian treatment is necessary. Sadly, when the virus reaches neurological stages, in many cases the horse may go on to require euthanizing, to relieve it’s suffering. Neurological symptoms render the horse unable to stand.

Zoologix’s article “Equine Neurological PCR Panel” says, “EHV-1 usually manifests as a respiratory disease, but can occasionally mutate to a form that affects the nervous system. Infected horses may develop symptoms such as weakness or paralysis of the hind legs giving rise to the “dog-sitting” position, loss of tail and anal tone, inability to urinate or defecate, urine dribbling, cranial nerve deficits, recumbency, and death. No specific treatment is available, but general supportive therapy and care can aid recivery. Anti-inflammatory agents may be helpful in minimizing damage to the spinal cord. The human drug acyclovir was used in an outbreak in Ohio, and effeciency of this treatment seems promising.” The virus is spread from horse-to-horse contact. It is not threatening to humans.

EHV-1 is not uncommon in the United States. Dr. Nicola Pusteria, DVM, PhD, Dipl. ACVIM, an associate professor in the Department of Medicine and Epidemiology at the University of California, Davis, said, “EHV-1 outbreaks happen on a regular basis, but on a smaller scale. Because the recent outbreaks involve horses from different barns, all the horses on those properties have become involved in the outbreak, resulting in more media attention, according to TheHorse.com.

It is now two and a half weeks since the first cases of EHV-1 were reported. The number of horses affected keeps changing, but at the time of writing this article, it is approximately 58 horses, from 16 states. Because the information is constantly changing, I expect the number of affected horses to change too. I will continue to track the effects of the EHV-1 virus, and do an update article in the near future.

Tagged as: equine virus, EVH-1, Horse, horse shows