Outbreak! What We've Learned

Learn how disease outbreaks in recent years have changed the horse industry, and why it's so important to play your part when it comes to disease prevention efforts.

- BARB CRABBE, DVM

In June of 2011 an outbreak of equine herpes virus (EHV) at a cutting event in Ogden, Utah, changed the horse world. By the time the outbreak was reined in, more than 2,000 horses and 242 premises were exposed in 19 states. Seventeen cases in California alone resulted in the cancellation of 142 of 520 competitions scheduled in the state. And social media panic in response to news reports caused events across the country to shut down even where risk of exposure was nonexistent. Industry experts quickly realized something needed to be done to change the way the horse world responds to the threat of disease.

So where did things go wrong? Let's find out. Ogden taught us a lot about the spread of equine disease, and just how sideways things can go if we don't pay attention. And since 2011 we've learned a lot. In this article, we'll look at what went wrong in Ogden, what we've learned since then, and what steps industry insiders have introduced to keep our horses safe. Most important, we'll help you understand why there are so many regulations in place to control movement of horses and reduce spread of disease, and why it's so important to comply with those (sometimes frustrating) rules.

Anatomy of an Outbreak

There are many different diseases that can lead to widespread outbreaks, including both viruses, such as EHV and influenza, and bacteria, such as strangles. The list is long, and each disease has different characteristics including signs, severity, and mode of spread. Some hit fast and hard, with high rates of infection, while others strike more stealthily. But no matter what the underlying disease is, there are four factors that play into the creation and impact of an outbreak: widespread travel, concentration of large numbers of horses in small spaces, lack of detection, and misinformation that leads to panic.

Widespread Travel