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EHV-1 Outbreak At California Show Grounds Sees Six Positives, One Death

On July 25, a 6-year-old Warmblood mare in Sonoma County, CA, tested positive for equine herpesvirus (EHV-1), according to reporting from the California Department of Food and Agriculture. The show horse had been stabled at the Sonoma Horse Park in Petaluma, Calif., prior to her positive test. Though the mare was vaccinated, she was euthanized after becoming recumbent and unable to rise.

Managers of the horse show the mare attended notified all attendees, asking them to take temperatures of horses that had attended the show twice daily and quarantine any horses returning from the show for at least seven days. On the show grounds, 19 horses from the affected mare's barn were removed and quarantined at their home farm; the 18 horses left at the home facility had temperatures taken twice daily and the farm implemented enhanced biosecurity measures.

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Six horses at the premises tested positive for EHV-1 and began displaying fever and/or limb edema. One horse, a 15-year-old Warmblood mare, began displaying neurologic symptoms and was moved to isolation at a veterinary hospital for care. A 5-year-old Warmblood gelding that was stabled at the horse show with the euthanized mare tested positive for EHV-1 on July 30 and was isolated at the index premises.

There were seven confirmed cases of EHV-1: two were non-neurologic EHV-1 cases at the showgrounds, a 5-year-old Warmblood gelding and a 14-year-old pony mare. one horse thus far has been euthanized.

Report: 18 Horses Ill As EHV-1 Sweeps Through Canadian Riding Stable

Staff at Venturing Hills Equestrian, a riding stable in Luskville, Quebec, Canada, have been working around the clock to try to save the farm's horses, which have been affected by the neurologic form of the equine herpes virus (EHV).

There are multiple strains of the equine herpes virus, including EHV-1, which can cause respiratory disease, abortion, neonatal death or neurological disease. Some horses exposed to the virus will develop neurologic signs. There is no cure for the neurological symptoms associated with EHV-1.

On Feb. 3, a healthy 5-year-old horse that lived at the farm began stumbling when he walked. His symptoms worsened and he was euthanized later that day. Samples the attending veterinarian had taken were positive for EHV-1. The second horse that died from EHV-1 was a 20-year-old horse on Valentine's Day. Both horses had been vaccinated for EHV.

Currently, 18 horses are sick, two are dead and five remain healthy. To try to keep the remaining horses disease free, staff has completely quarantined the healthy horses from the ill horses by building stalls on the property. They have also instituted biosecurity measures like limiting the people who see the infected horses, wearing hazmat suits and steaming hay nets to kill the virus.

Owner Rae Becke believes a new horse that arrived at the facility on January 15 brought the virus with him from Toronto. She later learned that three horses at the horse's former facility had died from the virus on Jan. 29. Becke was never informed of the situation, so the new horse was turned out with Venturing Hills' equine residents.

‘Responsibility Grief’ Weighs Heavily On Horse Owners

Researchers at the University of Nottingham have completed a study on how the horse-human relationship affects decision making around key events in a horse's life, including euthanasia. The team found that many owners have enjoyed their horses for multiple years and consider horses part of their family, which makes end-of-life decisions particularly difficult.

Drs. Harriet Clough, Mandy Roshier, Gary England, John Burford and Sarah Freeman found that feelings of guilt and the burden of responsibility can take an “extraordinary” toll on horse owners. The research team created an online survey that targeted horse owners who had experience with both purchasing and euthanizing horses. It delved into their experiences and relationships with their horses.

The survey received 938 responses; 870 of those respondents owned the horse, and nearly 94 percent of these considered the horse part of their family. These findings highlighted what the team called “responsibility grief.” These are the feelings of guilt and betrayal some horse owners have over making the decision to euthanize their horse. The scientists found this grief had both short- and long-term impacts on owners.

The short-term impacts include being unable to make the decision to euthanize the horse at the correct time to limit suffering. The long-term impacts included feelings of guilt and responsibility months or years after euthanizing their horse. These feelings may affect future decision making for other horses.

The team suggests further study to learn more about how this unique grief impacts equine welfare, and what resources owner need to cope.

Beloved Son Of Secretariat Passes At 30

The great Secretariat had just four of his progeny alive and well in the beginning of 2020. That number would be down to three by 2021. The youngest of his offspring, Secret of the Sea (later dubbed “Strider”), was one of the last foals born in Secretariat's final crop in 1990. Bred by Darley Stud, Strider wasn't destined for the greatness of his father, finishing his career with just one win in nine starts.

Strider was retired by trainer Clint Goodrich and kept as his personal horse, living in Montana and then Colorado, where he came to be owned by racing fans Linda and Scott Riba in 2011.

The couple enjoyed nearly nine years with Strider, but in 2019 his health began to fail. The gelding was diagnosed with Cushing's syndrome, a condition common in older horses that causes hormonal imbalances, which affect every facet of their lives, from their hair coat quality to their hooves.

Though Cushing's disease is sometimes manageable, it is incurable. Strider developed other problems after his Cushing's diagnosis and was euthanized on Dec. 12 due to struggles with his hoof health. He was 30 years old.

Read more at Thoroughbred Racing Commentary.

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