EHV at Thermal?

[spotlights]

I’d really, really like to believe that anyone who went to another show or didn’t properly quarantine didn’t do so with any ill intent or obsessive focus on points. Maybe they thought they completed an adequate risk assessment prior to going to LAEC or Murrieta? I can see it - “oh, it’s in barn 34 and we’re in [barn # far away] and we left that day, yada yada…”

Hindsight is 20/20. To my absolute core I do not believe - or maybe that I hope to not believe - that anyone intentionally placed horses in danger for the sake of showing.

I say this as someone whose horse is at DIHP, whose barn has taken the best biosecurity precautions they possibly could…and whose horse got moved to pre-isolation today. He had an elevated temperature and was separated from the general population until test results come back. Please send prayers and/or good vibes that it comes back negative.

DIHP has been AMAZING. They didn’t have to provide VIP lunch every day for free, or conduct daily town halls, or coordinate a schooling-ring schedule for those horses remaining on the property so that they can continue to exercise. DIHP, including Steve Hankin, has gone above and beyond in everything they’ve done. Have they been perfect? Probably not, but who is? DIHP’s response to this has convinced me to attend every single show here that I can. And to any of the Facebook folks blaming DIHP or calling Steve a horse-killer, I challenge you to spend a day in his shoes before you say that again.

[GallopGirl]

[quote=“Turntable, post:211, topic:769566, full:true”]. If a cattle rancher, feedlot operator or other livestock owner or shipper broke quarantine they’d potentially face massive fines and lawsuits and “trainers” are no different when they take on custody and shipping of livestock. Especially in a state like CA that does not mess around with this stuff.
[/quote]

My husband and I were just talking about that tonight. What kind of legal liability would someone have if they did not follow quarantine requirements and ended up leading to losses - whether is a horse dying, lost income, additional expenses for owners, etc. It would be one thing if they did follow the quarantine protocol and stuff happened, but if they didn’t… legally, could they be on the hook? Is this something their insurance would step in and cover? Questions we were discussing tonight.

[Fiesta01]

Hugs, prayers and good thoughts heading out to you and your boy.

[Peggy]

Hoping for a good outcome for your horse.

My only complaint about DIHP management is that they could have done a better job getting the info out about the sick horses on Friday Feb 11 or the day after and providing protocols for bio security. Apparently an email did go out to the trainers on Friday? But based on their response since then I suspect they will be more proactive in the future if they are so unfortunate as to have a next go round with a disease outbreak.

Hoping that some good will come out of this WRT to USEF coming up with clearer policies and some rules with teeth about moving horses in to the next show. Based on listening to the meetings via Facebook, it sounds like Steve is working with USEF on how to better manage such things in the future.

[Bunker]

I think this is really the heart of the matter. So far, it seems there are no repercussions from breaking the rules. I don’t think any of these trainers thought any harm would come from their actions but we’re learning how contagious this virus can be.

[Bristol_Bay]

@spotlights

I say this as someone whose horse is at DIHP, whose barn has taken the best biosecurity precautions they possibly could…and whose horse got moved to pre-isolation today. He had an elevated temperature and was separated from the general population until test results come back. Please send prayers and/or good vibes that it comes back negative.

You must be so worried! Sending jingles that your equine partner comes through this. Home will feel so good once you get there.

[Tini_Sea_Soldier1]

Colorado has canceled their spring shows (3 weeks in May), but Langer did not specify whether this was out of precaution for EHV or because of other logistical constraints that aren’t allowing them to happen.
That being said, my fear is that this is gonna spread faster with people needing to travel farther and to other areas to show and catch-up for lost weeks of points.
I believe that a lot of people at Thermal are trying to get cleared to go home, but I wonder what the liability looks like with commercial shippers. That’s a lot of concern and potential responsibility if they end up spreading this far and wide.

[Bristol_Bay]

Our facility is now implementing a 14-day self quarantine. It’s a minor inconvenience.

[LilDunFilly]

I think several SoCal facilities are going to do something similar. LAEC is having any new horses on property isolate for 14 days in the show stalls. The horses are supposed to stay over in that area and can only be exercised in the open rings over there (not the trailer lot or the Dome). So no turnout of any sort for 2 weeks. My mare was supposed to move there this weekend; I’d have to go 3x daily to care for her for that time (I live an hour away).

Needless to say, I’ve had to push the move date back a month to hopefully give everything time to settle down. I figure little miss mare will be happier staying in a pasture on someone’s private ranch for another month than on what amounts to stall-rest. I absolutely think what LAEC is doing is necessary, but this is not a minor inconvenience for me . Lots of non-HJ horse professionals are being hit hard too. The commercial hauler I used and had to cancel, told me that he’d had a run down to Scottsdale that they’d had to cancel and basically all the local haulers are grounded atm. Western trainer I work for had shows coming up at the beginning of next month that they may not go to now.

[MHM]

@Tini_Sea_Soldier1

Colorado has canceled their spring shows (3 weeks in May), but Langer did not specify whether this was out of precaution for EHV or because of other logistical constraints that aren’t allowing them to happen.

Huh. I certainly hope this whole episode will be in the rearview mirror by the time May rolls around in two months. Knock wood. But maybe this is the cut off date for making arrangements for the shows.

[Kmsuds]

Not proactive, the show was cancelled after the horse tested positive. AND up until the positive test mgmt was threatening to not refund deposits for anyone not showing up…that changed the following day…

[Kmsuds]

they SHOULD be on the hook,sick horses, people out of work,all because people can’t follow rules. I hope the people affected make it so that the offenders never even want to think of taking that risk again…

[IPEsq]

@MHM

@Tini_Sea_Soldier1

Colorado has canceled their spring shows (3 weeks in May), but Langer did not specify whether this was out of precaution for EHV or because of other logistical constraints that aren’t allowing them to happen.

Huh. I certainly hope this whole episode will be in the rearview mirror by the time May rolls around in two months. Knock wood. But maybe this is the cut off date for making arrangements for the shows.

I don’t think this cancellation is related.

[Bristol_Bay]

And lose sponsors.

As Facebook is a way to communicate directly with the offending trainers, I wonder if they are getting slammed on that platform. I don’t use it, but sometimes there’s crossover from people here who also post there.

[Mardi1]

There are a few posts mentioning that offending trainers broke “the rules” when taking horses out of Thermal, and to LAEC. Is it confirmed that those horses were in the official quarantine set up by the state of California at Thermal? if so, that would certainly be illegal to remove them.

I thought the horses that moved to LAEC were under a recommended 7 day isolation at Thermal,
and at the same time, were “free to leave”, as stated in DIHP press releases. Unfortunately the trainers were impatient, and left before the 7 days were completed, with disastrous results.

What rules did the offending trainers break ? At some point USEF will find a few, but until then…

[Horsegirl_s_Mom]

@Kmsuds

Not proactive, the show was cancelled after the horse tested positive. AND up until the positive test mgmt was threatening to not refund deposits for anyone not showing up…that changed the following day…

Have you received any official communication confirming there was a positive test at Murieta? The Feb. 25 update said there were no cases, and then the next day they sent an email saying the show was canceled “in consideration of the current EHV situation in California.” I find it hard to believe they would not disclose the existence of a positive case… the email leaves the impression they are just acting out of an abundance of caution.

[Mardi1]

From yesterday’s USEF update:
“USEF learned last night about three (3) new horses confirmed positive for EHV-1 with no neurologic signs. One horse is at DIHP in isolation. The other two horses are off site. One horse had returned to its home premises in Riverside County and is isolated. The other horse left DIHP 14 days ago and confirmed positive for EHV-1 while at a competition in Rancho Murieta. The horse has left the competition and has been isolated and quarantined at its home premises.”

[hoopoe]

GR1305 Elimination & Withdrawal from Classes & Competition (See also GR118) 1. No exhibitor may withdraw horses from a Licensed Competition after it has commenced, or remove them from the competition grounds, without the permission of the competition secretary

the question is, was the competition technically underway

GR702 Violations 1. A violation is any act prejudicial to the best interests of the Federation,… d. Acting or inciting or permitting any other to act in a manner contrary to the rules of the Federation, or in a manner deemed improper, unethical, dishonest, unsportsmanlike or intemperate, or prejudicial to the best interests of the sport and the Federation.

This ^ rule also applies to show management, so that is where the receiving show could be tripped up. This is sort of a blanket, generic overrule

there are rules about disaster preparedness, which includes infectious disease in the horses.
It discusses what to do if horse is ill or removed, ill, for treatment, but there are no rules about further actions, State veterinarian conduct or compliance with their rules and directions

the whole situation may be unsupported by rules. There is also that magic window where the show is not actually going on but horses are on the grounds.

It is a horrible mess.

Many people have no idea what it truly takes to have a biocontainment situation at home, farm or show. You may take all of your reasonable precautions but as we have lived the last two years, that does not mean others have done their level of precaution. This virus loves a fomite

[Horsegirl_s_Mom]

@Mardi1

The other horse left DIHP 14 days ago and confirmed positive for EHV-1 while at a competition in Rancho Murieta .

Oh wow, well that’s conclusive. And that horse is believed to be Lulavani, or we don’t know?

That is terrible. So now everyone who was at Murieta–including the trainer who has our mare’s offspring–is left worrying and obsessively checking temperatures for the next two weeks. That is awful. And those people all scattered to their home barns…where there are presumably many more horses who weren’t at Murieta but now are potentially exposed.

[Mardi1]

Thanks Hoopoe