11/21/2025
We know there is a lot of confusion and worry about the outbreak of Equine Herpes Virus that started in Texas at the Women’s Professional Rodeo Association (WPRA) World Finals and Elite Barrel Race event Nov 5-9.
As of this time, there are no reported cases in Ohio.
EHV is not new, and is one of the most common contagious respiratory viruses that occur in horses. Most horses get snotty noses and coughs that get better on their own. Some infected horses will develop Equine Herpesvirus Myeloencephalopathy, which is the "neurological form" of the virus, which is rare, but can be fatal, and is why this is a sensational story on social media currently.
How does it spread?
• Nose to Nose contact between horses
• Breathing in respiratory droplets from coughing or sneezing horses
• Stalls, buckets, feed, water, tack, trailers – anything an infected horse coughs or sneezes on
• Humans in contact with sick horses – hands, clothing, equipment
What to do?
• No panicking. Not helpful. Only share info on social media from verified sources. As of 11/20, NINE horses are confirmed to have developed neurological signs. There were a HECK of a lot of horses at this set of shows. This is a VERY small percentage of horses.
• If your horse will be or has traveled west or to any large horse venues in the last 2 weeks, isolate your horse for the next 14 days and monitor for fever (>101.5F, snotty nose, coughing).
• If you show, board, or travel with your horses, consider boostering your horses' EHV ("Rhino") vaccine. This vaccine is helpful in reducing the spread of the virus (and reducing shedding from infected horses). Outbreak or not, horses who travel or board should be boostered every 3-6 months. There is NO vaccine that prevents the neurological form from developing – some horses get bad luck.
• If your horses live at home and never leave your property, they don’t have close contact with the neighboring horses, and you don’t go take lessons on someone else’s horse, your horses are not at risk.
• Monitor the link below for the most up to date info on the outbreak.
https://equinediseasecc.org/news/article/Equine-Herpesvirus-Myeloencephalopathy-(EHM)-Outbreak?fbclid=IwY2xjawOMjwJleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEegzcDZwPH_Kxs74SIAW9sRFuoFhMqRMInCFiYKJE6G6Cr48F08vJp92OnBDU_aem_Q00NM-PBAglk3sPbq8gyfg