As the driving representative on the California State Equine Medications and Monitoring Program (the group that does disease monitoring and drug monitoring at the shows in the state) I am sending you a copy of the letter sent out last week by our State Veterinarian, Annette Jones, DVM.
As you may have heard there were several cases of Herpes (EHM) in horses at big shows in Southern California. Cases are still being diagnosed. There is no cure for the neurological disease caused by this virus. While the original cases were in Hunters and Jumpers, any horse that has been at a barn that has a hunter or jumper that was at one of the shows or near a horse from one of the shows, has been to a lesson at a facility where a suspect horse has been even for a lesson, has shared tack or stable equipment with someone who had contact with a horse from one of the shows or a horse that is boarded at a hunter jumper barn could be infected.
Please do what I am doing - keep your horses home for as long as the State Veterinarian recommends and do not allow outside horses to come into your barn. For those whose horses live at a boarding stable, share this letter with management and talk to them about keeping new horses out for the next few weeks. If that is not possible, do your best to minimize your horse's contact with other horses.
Stay safe and keep your horses safe,
Jody Cutler
Click HERE to view the PDF.