According to National Reining Breeders Classic (NRBC) show manager Cheryl Cody, a positive case of Equine Herpesvirus-1 was reported on Thursday evening, April 20. NRBC is currently underway at the Built Ford Tough Livestock Complex at Expo Square in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
“Horses housed within 30 feet of the infected horse are being moved to a separate location on the grounds, and will be tested,” stated a sheet of paper distributed at the show on April 21.
“The state veterinary lab reported it to the state veterinary office, they let us know and created some protocols and we’ve been following their guidance,” Cody said.
The paper also stated that “ODAFF State Veterinarian, Dr. Rod Hall, DVM has asked that participants currently at NRBC remain on the grounds and monitor their horses for signs of disease or fever. It is recommended that temperatures be taken twice daily and any temperature over 101 degrees Fahrenheit be reported to the show veterinarian.”
As of April 21 at about 6:30 PM, ODAFF sent a letter to NRBC exhibitors informing them of the facility’s quarantine.
The ODAFF letter from Dr. Hall says “I am working with the State veterinarians of the 22 states that have horses at the event. I’m optimistic that most, if not all, of them will allow horses to go home under quarantine or hold order to be isolated and monitored at home. I believe this will apply to all but the horses considered to be most at risk for being exposed.”
Below are two bullet points quoted from the ODAFF letter:
- The State Veterinarians in your state are charged with protecting the livestock of their state and they want to be sure your horses are safe to return home.
- EHV-1 is a contagious disease and we do not have enough information yet to make a good determination about the risk to horses in various barns on the fairgrounds. We all want to protect our horses at home by not taking the disease home with us.
Since then, show manager Cheryl Cody has updated Quarter Horse News that “all horses that were in proximity with the affected horse were moved to a different location and tested. Results were received last night and all were negative. Another horse that exhibited some symptoms was also tested and was negative. All horses tested were negative.”
“Dr. Rod Hall is working round the clock with other state vets and horses are being released to their home states,” Cody said.
Show Veterinarians are:
Dr. Joe Carter (Emma) – (405)226-9019
Dr. Gabby Solum – (940)465-4466
Dr. Donnell – (940)465-4466
Dr. Vern Dryden – (859)396-2159
Dr. Zeke Proctor, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Inspection Services is also on the grounds and can be reached at (405) 439-8386 according to the information sheet.
“We’re very excited to get the negative results because the most important thing is the horse safety and the health of the horses,” Cody stated. “In the last 26 or 27 hours there’s been a lot of time spent on this to make sure that as many horses were as safe as possible.”
Updates
4/23/23 – Oswood Stallion Station announced on Facebook that “no horse having attended the NRBC will be permitted to enter the premises of Oswood Stallion Station until after 5/8/23. Resident stallion Ten Thirty‘s semen requests will be fulfilled via frozen semen until such date semen collections can be resumed again on 5/8/23.”
4/23/23 – Foals-R-Us Reproduction Center & Stallion Station announced that resident stallion Smoking Trash would only be offered through frozen semen until he can resume collections on 5/8/23. Much like Oswood, they will not be allowing horses that attended NRBC on their property until after the quarantine period.
4/25/23 – Southwest Reining Association announced that “As an additional precaution the Lazy E Arena will require that any horses coming to the show [Red Dirt Reining] have a Rhino+Flu booster as a precaution.”
4/25/23 – Oil Can Classic announced “Any horses that were at the NRBC or were around other horses from the NRBC are not allowed at the oil can classic this week!”
