04/18/2026
EHV-1 Exposure Statement
Good morning, as most have seen by now, this past week at HITS Culpeper a horse tested positive for EHV-1 and was unfortunately euthanized after being transported to the hospital.
I have always believed strongly in full transparency surrounding these types of potential outbreaks because secrecy has never calmed the panic that many horse owners feel when they hear of a positive herpes result. I am an open book about our exposure, protocols, biosecurity measures etc. so please, if you have a question or concern, don’t hesitate to reach out.
Our 3 attending horses were stabled in the same barn, in close proximity to the sick horse, so given our direct exposure we opted to leave immediately to return home for a strict 14 day quarantine. We are very fortunate to have the property layout that allows us to take all of the necessary precautions at home. Our quarantine and all related bio security measures have been discussed in detail and approved by the attending horse show veterinarian, our home veterinarian, as well as both the VA state vet and the MD state vet. So please rest assured that any and all precautions are being taken to their fullest extent to protect not only our horses here at home but also anyone local we may be in contact with.
Our current quarantine consists of a completely separate barn & pasture that are completely self sufficient from the rest of the farm with its own water, hay, feed, etc. and it is well over the recommended 30ft of distance between exposed equines and unexposed. Current bio security measures & care standards include:
•temps twice daily, logged with other notes regarding general presentation. Things we’re on the lookout for include fever, lethargy, inappetence, toe dragging/other neurological changes & deficits.
•There is absolutely no access to this isolation barn by any staff, owner, or anyone aside from myself or Tyler. (Of course veterinarians do not fall into that category)
•The area’s surrounding that isolation barn have been restricted.
•The trailer will remain next to that barn until it is disinfected to the standard that kills viruses like EHV-1.
•The isolated horses are following an opposite turnout schedule as the rest of the farm and we are ensuring there will be no overlap in exposed horses being turned out at the same time as the unexposed horses on the rest of the farm.
•Following any interaction/contact with the isolation barn, we will be stripping, showering and changing entirely including shoes.
We are very fortunate that at this time we are in isolation for precautionary sake. Our three horses are doing well with stable temps, vitals and demeanors. While we understand the stress of a potential outbreak- be sure to keep in mind that someone that attended this show to have fun and spend time with their horse had to come home with an empty trailer yesterday. EHV-1 Exposure Statement
Good morning, as most have seen by now, this past week at HITS Culpeper a horse tested positive for EHV-1 and was unfortunately euthanized after being transported to the hospital.
I have always believed strongly in full transparency surrounding these types of potential outbreaks because secrecy has never calmed the panic that many horse owners feel when they hear of a positive herpes result. I am an open book about our exposure, protocols, biosecurity measures etc. so please, if you have a question or concern, don’t hesitate to reach out.
Our 3 attending horses were stabled in the same barn, in close proximity to the sick horse, so given our direct exposure we opted to leave immediately to return home for a strict 14 day quarantine. We are very fortunate to have the property layout that allows us to take all of the necessary precautions at home. Our quarantine and all related bio security measures have been discussed in detail and approved by the attending horse show veterinarian, our home veterinarian, as well as both the VA state vet and the MD state vet. So please rest assured that any and all precautions are being taken to their fullest extent to protect not only our horses here at home but also anyone local we may be in contact with.
Our current quarantine consists of a completely separate barn & pasture that are completely self sufficient from the rest of the farm with its own water, hay, feed, etc. and it is well over the recommended 30ft of distance between exposed equines and unexposed. Current bio security measures & care standards include:
•Temps twice daily, logged with other notes regarding general presentation. Things we’re on the lookout for include fever, lethargy, inappetence, toe dragging/other neurological changes & deficits.
•There is absolutely no access to this isolation barn by any staff, owner, or anyone aside from myself or Tyler. (Of course veterinarians do not fall into that category)
•The area’s surrounding that isolation barn have been restricted.
•The trailer will remain next to that barn until it is disinfected to the standard that kills viruses like EHV-1.
•The isolated horses are following an opposite turnout schedule as the rest of the farm and we are ensuring there will be no overlap in exposed horses being turned out at the same time as the unexposed horses on the rest of the farm.
•Following any interaction/contact with the isolation barn, we will be stripping, showering and changing entirely including shoes.
We are very fortunate that at this time we are in isolation for precautionary sake. Our three horses are doing well with stable temps, vitals and demeanors. While we understand the stress of a potential outbreak- be sure to keep in mind that someone that attended this show to have fun and spend time with their horse had to come home with an empty trailer yesterday. We share our deepest condolences with them❤️
Hopefully nothing comes to a head with this and we can chalk it up to good practice in the event we have a more imminent threat of infectious disease.
For anyone looking to educate themselves on this disease please reference this link to the AAEP’s
FAQ’s regarding EHV-1 and EHM
https://aaep.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/EHM-DZ_FAQ-FINAL-2025.pdf
