Texas sees outbreak in infectious equine disease
For now, there are no reported cases in Williamson County of a potentially deadly viral outbreak infecting horses that has swept across more than a dozen counties and forced officials to cancel shows and rodeos.
Taylor Rodeo Association President Tim Sims said he has many friends in the equine and rodeo community whose animals have been affected by the illness.
“We at the Taylor Rodeo Association are keeping everyone in our thoughts and prayers,” Sims said.
Since November, the horse community has been on high alert, officials said.
Over 13 Texas counties have had horses test positive for the highly contagious equine herpesvirus type 1 and equine herpesvirus myeloencephalopathy, including Williamson County neighbors Bell and Lee counties.
According to the Equine Disease Communication Center, or EDCC, the Texas outbreak was traced to the Women’s Professional Rodeo Association World Finals and Elite Barrel Racing in Waco Nov. 5-9 and has spread to eight states, including Oklahoma, New Mexico and Louisiana.
The Williamson County Expo Center, 5350 Bill Pickett Trail in Taylor, held an equine event the same weekend as the WPRA finals.
“When we heard about the outbreak, we sanitized our arena,” said Jordan Murphy, event coordinator for the Expo Center.
Murphy added the Expo Center recently had a dressage program on the calendar and gave the host organization a choice whether to hold the event. It was canceled.
There are no other equine events scheduled on the Expo Center’s calendar.
Other venues have called off all equine events to prevent the spread of the disease, officials said.
The Williamson County Sheriff’s Posse Rodeo Arena in Jarrell has banned all horses from its property until further notice. A message posted to social media noted the ban includes WCSP members, rodeo contestants or travelers wanting a place to stop with their horses.
“Our priority is the safety of every animal on these grounds,” WCSP officials said on the Facebook page.
Nearby, Bastrop closed the Mayfest Park Rodeo Arena Nov. 21 at the recommendation of the EDCC. Both the Mayfest Park and WCSP arenas will remain closed until further notice, officials said.
State Commissioner of Agriculture Sid Miller also recently sounded an online warning about EHV-1 and EHM, urging horse owners and riders to be vigilant.
EVH-1 is primarily an upper respiratory disease, but it can cause miscarriage or stillbirth in horses. Most horses recover from EVH-1 if it does not turn into EHM, which is a severe, neurologic strain of EHV-1 that can lead to paralysis and even death.
As of press time, four horses in Texas have died.
“While the disease is serious, the majority of cases are not fatal,” EDCC officials said in a release.
The Texas Animal Health Commission and the Texas Department of Agriculture have recommended biosecurity protocols for horse owners to monitor their equines for symptoms such as fever, nasal discharge, coughing, lethargy and neurological signs which could include stumbling, swelling or weakness in limbs and difficulty urinating.
Neither EHV-1 nor EHM affects humans, although people can spread the diseases between horses through contamination on their hands, clothes or equipment, including horse trailers, veterinarians said.
Both the Animal Health Commission and EDCC urge owners to clean and disinfect all shared tack, grooming tools and feed and water buckets as well as attend to their own personal hygiene, such as washing hands, changing clothes and disinfecting boots after contact with horses, especially sick horses.
For more about EHV-1 and EHM, visit tahc.texas.gov/ animal_health/equine/ and equinediseasecc.org/news/ article/ Equine-Herpesvirus-Myeloencephalopathy-(EHM)Outbreak.
