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The dust has begun to settle at the Virginia Horse Center now that it has been officially cleared of Equine Herpes Virus and relieved of its quarantine.
In the midst of the Shenandoah Classic Horse Show, on June 20, two horses began showing symptoms of Equine Herpes Virus, or EHV-1. Being highly transmissible among horses, 80 other horses sharing the contaminated barn were put under quarantine. All horses attending the show were heavily monitored for symptoms with trainers checking their temperatures twice daily, V HC C hief E xecutive O fficer Glenn Petty told The News-Gazette. The two infected horses died at their home veterinary office – Rood and Riddles in Lexington, Ky. – as a result of the virus.
Petty was later notified of two horses that were running fevers after leaving the VHC, but upon examination, both horses tested negative for EHV-1, he said.
Following the outbreak, the state’s Office of Veterinary Services assigned two teams to disinfect all stalls and equipment at the Virginia Horse Center on Monday, June 26, reported a VHC Foundation press release.
The press release included a statement made by state veterinarian Abby Sage, “The coordinated effort with the show management staff facilitated a quick and thorough response. All barns have been disinfected and the Virginia Horse Center is safe for upcoming shows.”
Having the approval of the Office of Veterinary Services, the horse center hosted the Vaulting Region IX Championship last week and it is currently hosting the Arabian Horse Association Region 15 and 16 Championship with about 600 stalls housing Arabian horses.
Petty told The News-Gazette in an interview this week that he is pleased to be moving past the EHV-1 outbreak and is excited to announce that this week’s show is running smoothly.
