URGENT – SHOT Event in San Angelo Postponed

May 17, 2011 Off By Roberta Johnston

Due to recent events surrounding an EHV1 Outbreak in horses across the country, the San Angelo SHOT Clinic and Show originally scheduled for May 20-21 will be re-scheduled for August 5th and 6th. Though EHV cases have not yet been identified in Texas, the extent of this outbreak is still unfolding. Major NCHA and AQHA events have been cancelled and several large Texas ranches and boarding facilities have prohibited the movement of horses in and out of their facilities. Because we do not know the full extent of this disease in our state, SHOT feels it is in the best interest of our members and their horses that this event be rescheduled.

Below is a briefing from the NCHA about the current outbreak and links to more information about this deadly disease. We apologize for any inconvenience this causes our members, but the health of your horses and horses across Texas is our first priority.

EHV-1 UPDATE: Tuesday May 17, 9:00 a.m. (Central Time)
The NCHA continues to closely monitor the situation of reported cases of Equine Herpesvirus (EHV-1) that were reportedly first clinically diagnosed in horses that attended the NCHA Western National Championships in Ogden, Utah conducted April 29 – May 8, 2011. The virus can be contagious among horses, but is NOT transmittable to humans. While the NCHA does not want to unnecessarily alarm horse owners, we do want to be a clearinghouse of factual information so you can make informed decisions on this matter regarding your personal horses and production of NCHA-approved events.

Credible (but not official) reports indicate cases of EHV-1 in several Western states (Colorado, Utah, California, Washington, Oregon, Arizona and Western Canada). While reported cases of the virus are currently in Western states, the interstate transport of infected horses could cause a much wider spread of the virus if we are not all very cautious at this time.

In an effort to be proactive and provide the maximum safety to horses across the country, affiliate organizations and show producers in Montana, Oregon, Oklahoma, Texas, California, Wyoming, New Mexico, Washington and Nevada have cancelled previously scheduled shows for the weekend of May 20 – 22, 2011. The NCHA supports these decisions to cancel shows that were made in the best interest of horse health. While the NCHA is at present not mandating cancellation of all shows nationwide scheduled for the weekend of May 20 – 22, we do strongly urge all show producer to consider the possible horse health risks of conducting an event this weekend. The NCHA knows that many qualified veterinarians are working on this EHV-1 issue, and we hope that during the week of May 23rd we have additional factual information and clinical diagnosis on the geographic extent (and any possible new case reports) of the virus that will allow us to make the best informed decisions for shows scheduled in the coming weeks, including AQHA/NCHA Weekend currently scheduled for June 3 – 5, 2011.

Additional information about the EHV-1 virus can be found at the following links:

http://aqha.com/en/News/News-Articles/051411-CO-Equine-Herpesvirus-Cases.aspx

http://nchacutting.com/