Crisis Needs clarity
Five horses have died, hundreds have been exposed, and competitors across the country are pulling out rodeo events, yet the American Quarter Horse Association remains nearly silent.
After the WPRA Finals and the Elite Barrel Race, there is an outbreak of equine herpes myleoencephalopathy, the neurologic form of EHV-1. The outbreak was traced back to these events in Waco, TX, and there are now 46 confirmed cases as of late November. The outbreak has spread across 13 states and two provinces including Arizona, Colorado, Louisiana, Maryland, Montana, New Mexico, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Texas, Washington, and Wisconsin, as well as Alberta and Ontario, Canada.
Given the seriousness of this outbreak and how quickly it’s moving, the AQHA has an opportunity to take a clearer, more visible leadership role. Horse owners aren’t asking for panic, just steady communication, and practical guidance from the organization they trust.
EHV-1 travels quickly from horse to horse, whether that's them touching their noses together, sharing buckets or tack, or off people's clothing. Signs of EHV-1 can be subtle but escalate quickly.
Many big races, including Barrel Futurities of America, the biggest barrel futurity event, the All-In Barrel Race in Vegas, and other races have been canceled. Events like the National Finals Rodeo have taken extreme caution to continue to host. The state of Nevada has put requirements into place for horses coming into the state such as: “obtaining an entry permit from the state veterinarian and providing a Certificate of Veterinary Inspection (CVI) stating the horse has not been at a premises with a confirmed case of Equine Herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1) within the 21 days prior to transport.”
Amidst all of this, rodeo athletes and horse owners are taking extreme precautions for their horses, and most are opting to stay home from events.
As a current rodeo athlete, I find this scary and unnerving; my horses aren’t leaving the property and are constantly being monitored for signs of EHV. The AQHA which is “the world's largest equine breed registry and membership organization,” has posted about “a potential outbreak” and chose to keep quiet about it, besides some underplayed updates telling people to “monitor horses and avoid unnecessary travel.” People in the comments of their post have expressed concerns about it not being a “possible outbreak” and it being a full outbreak. The Equine Disease Communication Center says they are “monitoring [the] outbreak of EHM that originated at the Women’s Professional Rodeo Association World Finals and Elite Barrel Race.” The AQHA should be taking a more prominent stance on this and helping keep horse owners informed.
The AQHA has now gone back to posting content about horse shows and feed brands, seemingly ignoring what is going on around them. Five horses have died since the outbreak started, and more are being diagnosed daily. In one extreme example, Outlaw Equine Hospital in Decatur, Texas has opened a separate quarantine hospital and even had to shut down operations over the weekend to try and keep these horses safe and away from other horses.
Amidst this, the Levelland Horse Sale continued with their November futurity sale. They posted a video stating they are very aware of the current situation and have kept in contact with Texas Animal Health. As well as staying updated about current conditions and choosing to host this event for the horse cosigners that count on them.
“We got the go ahead to do this. We’ve done the necessary protocols to do this and have the utmost confidence... we’re going to be just fine,” said the LHS representative.
Horse owners are quarantining, canceling, losing money on entry fees, and making tough calls on their own. The equine community deserves more than reassurance; it deserves responsible, transparent communication. The AQHA has an extensive platform; by sharing factual information they can cut through confusion and give owners information they can rely on instead of rumors.
Written by Paige Vance
