Has the pandemic affected the handling of a deadly horse disease?

Has the pandemic taught the equestrian community about the importance of following isolation protocol, or has two years without shows made some members more reckless in their desire to compete?

In March of 2020, when the very first Covid-19 restrictions were put into place, most people were unfamiliar with isolation and testing protocol. However, as the pandemic progressed, people became more and more aware of the critical nature of isolating positive cases as well as those who may have been previously exposed. 

Now, two years later, the process of preventative isolation after exposure and until a negative test, is well understood and is a natural part of existing for most. So much so that one might expect the practice to carry on to other aspects of life, such as the prevention of the spread of illness in animals. 

In early February of 2022, a horse at the Desert International Horse Park (DIHP) in Southern California tested positive for Equine Herpesvirus (EHV-1). EHV-1 is a respiratory disease that can be harmless for horses, but unfortunately, some cases develop neurological symptoms that lead to the need for immediate euthanasia.

From the first recorded case of this outbreak on February 1st, 2022, to March 13, 2022, seven horses were euthanised due to neurological symptoms. While a few horses were euthanised on-site at DIHP, some horses put down never even attended any shows with positive EHV-1 cases.

The language and rules around the EHV-1 outbreak are eerily similar to the initial Covid-19 precautions. USEF (United States Equestrian Federation) put out a mandate on February 24, 2020, instructing that all horses recently at the DIHP be isolated for 14 days, and horses showing symptoms must take a negative PCR test on days 7 and 14 before being released. 

Similarly, CFAD (California Food and Agriculture Department), which has been very active in managing the outbreak, has also issued guidelines reminiscent of those put in place for Covid-19.

Owners are encouraged to limit horse-to-horse contact as well as avoid the sharing of equipment unless it has been thoroughly disinfected.

Although the equestrian show industry is by nature no stranger to accommodating various equine illnesses, in the wake of Covid-19 people are more desperate than ever to compete.

After nearly two years of cancelled shows, the mantra of “stay home now to save next season” means so little.

When the next competition season isn’t guaranteed, in fear of the rise of another variant, competitors are eager to take advantage of shows while they’re allowed to happen, even to a fault. 

However, this is causing deadly consequences in light of the rise of EHV-1 in California.

Although this is a highly contagious disease with deadly consequences, some professionals in the equestrian world have chosen to ignore the USEF isolation requirements for horses previously competing at DIHP, and have continued to travel with exposed horses, which has only worsened the situation.

One of the trainers to feel the consequences of others ignoring isolation requirements was Nina Thornton, a barn manager for John Berney Equestrian, a training facility in Orange County, California.

Nina and her clients attended the LA February show after being assured that no horses previously at DIHP would be allowed on the grounds.

 Unfortunately, on the last day of the February show, according to a quote shared by Nina Thornton, the show organisers announced via email that three horses at the LA February show “had been at DIHP, returned to their home barn, and then came to our show after five days of isolation instead of seven days. As soon as we became aware, we notified the trainers, and those horses left the property that same day.”

Later it was revealed that the horses were at DIHP only four days before arriving at the LA February show, and shortly after that West Palm Evens, the organising body behind the event, announced that horses on the grounds, and one who had returned to its barn from the show, had begun to show EHV-1 symptoms, one of which was later euthanised. 

As Covid-19 moved throughout the world, healthcare workers and other citizens alike heavily encouraged, and even begged, others to stay home and prevent the spread of the virus. 

Similarly most Southern California trainers, and many others across the country, are begging other trainers to keep their clients and horses home, others continue to blatantly ignore protocol and seem to have little fear of the disastrous potential consequences. 

Although the outbreak continues to develop, cases are going down for now, and show cancellations alongside strict biosecurity measures are helping keep infected horses in isolation and barns at their own properties.

For more information on the impact of EHV-1, Nina Thornton has written a personal account of how it hit her barn titled “Living Through An Outbreak: One California Barn’s EHV-1 Diary“.

Feature image by Markus Spiske via Unsplash.