EHV at Thermal?

I’m not sure whether the standard entry form asks for that information. It’s done on line so I’m not sure there was an opportunity to ask. On the February 17, I was in the office taking care of a registration issue, and there may have been talk of coming from Thermal, but it was a week off from the show series, so wouldn’t have been unusual to have horses come directly from DIHP.

How about naming the trainers who showed the horses without proper quarantine and spread the virus? People have a right to know.

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I understand. :slightly_smiling_face:

The USEF sent out this FAQ email today.

https://links.usef.mkt7856.com/servlet/MailView?ms=MjAyNzk2OTYS1&r=MTMyMTYwNTg5NzAyS0&j=MjMwMTg1MDIxNQS2&mt=1&rt=0

Reminder: USEF Mandate on EHV-1 Restriction of Entries

In an effort to mitigate the risk of virus transmission, the USEF is requiring the following protocols, which are effective immediately and until further notice.

  1. Isolate your horses
    Horses that within the last 14 days were on the grounds at Desert International Horse Park (DIHP) or have been in-contact with these DIHP horses must be isolated.
  2. Take rectal temperatures
    Rectal temperatures of all of your horses should be taken and recorded twice daily. Horses that develop a fever should be examined by a veterinarian.
  3. Laboratory testing for EHV-1
    Horses that were on the grounds at DIHP must meet the following requirements:
    EITHER
    Two samples taken using nasopharyngeal swabs must be analyzed by PCR testing on day 7 and day 14. Day 0 is considered to be the day your horse is in a new location. Both swabs must result in negative test results to EHV-1 in order to satisfy the requirements of the USEF. If either of the tests generate a positive result, the horse must remain in isolation and be re-tested. It is necessary to have two negative test results, taken at least seven days apart to fulfill USEF requirements.
    OR
    The horse must be isolated for 21 days, rectal temperature must be taken and recorded during the isolation period. Samples to be taken after day 21 using a nasopharyngeal swab to test for EHV-1 via PCR analysis. Day 0 is considered to be the day your horse is in a new location. The swab must result in negative PCR test result to EHV-1. If the tests generate a positive result, the horse must remain in isolation for an additional seven days and be re-tested.
  4. Release from Isolation
    Horses must only be released from isolation on the advice of your veterinarian.
  5. Return to Competition
    Horses that have been on the grounds at DIHP within 14 days preceding a USEF competition are not permitted to enter any USEF competition ground until they have fulfilled the testing requirements described above. Test results must be submitted via email to EHV@usef.org to obtain clearance from this restriction.
  6. Penalties
    Noncompliance with these protocols will result in penalties imposed on trainers and owners as well as competitions that knowingly permit noncompliant horses on the grounds.
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This is from the USEF bulletin that MHM posted:

Did horses leave DIHP and within 7 days compete at LAEC against LAEC’s protocols?
We have reports that 4 horses left DIHP and within 7 days competed at LAEC against their protocols. Those horses were removed when this became known to management. USEF is investigating these reports.

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Yeah, if it’s confirmed that trainers did break the quarantine in order to go show elsewhere, I’m all for not only publicly outing them, but also suspending them for a reallllllllly long time. Is there any possibility of criminal charges if the quarantine was initiated by the state?

I’d be a bit more sympathetic if they removed an asymptomatic horse and took it home to isolate it there, but taking an exposed horse and going straight to another show facility full of other people’s horses? That’s the lowest of the low (but unfortunately not surprising after seeing how many people have acted during the covid pandemic)

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I believe that two of them have been outed upthread.

Just reiterating that the horse that competed at LAEC and tested positive after being euthanized currently can’t be linked to the horses that came from DIHP breaking quarantine rules.

Don’t these people have vets who would advise them?

@Angela_Freda, I am so sorry to read about the hell you and your poor Melly went through. I hope your sharing the horror might make a difference in how people deal with an EHV outbreak.

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I’d like to see the equine insurance companies go after them.

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BNTs are practically vets, don’t you know?

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I’ve read the chronological press releases, and it reads to me that the horses who went from Thermal to show at LAEC weren’t under mandatory quarantine but ‘recommended’ quarantine. So while the trainers may have violated LAEC’s rule when they went there and behaved like total jackasses besides, they may not have violated a mandatory state quarantine. Knowing what we know now, I have to say I was surprised when reading the older press releases how much it was downplayed, including by the vet who was doing all the talking.

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[quote=“punchy, post:138, topic:769566, full:true”]
I’ve read the chronological press releases, and it reads to me that the horses who went from Thermal to show at LAEC weren’t under mandatory quarantine but ‘recommended’ quarantine. So while the trainers may have violated LAEC’s rule when they went there and behaved like total jackasses besides, they may not have violated a mandatory state quarantine. Knowing what we know now, I have to say I was surprised when reading the older press releases how much it was downplayed, including by the vet who was doing all the talking.
[/quote]r

As it was going on, I was reading the DIHP bulletins and the factual information from the state (CDFA), and for the first week or ten days it looked like DIHP was substantially downplaying the outbreak relative to what the CDFA was saying. Just 4 ot 5 days ago DIHP seemed to have a policy shift and starting reporting much more honestly.

Thermal just cancelled remaining shows, including the dressage show.

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DIHP has officially cancelled weeks 6-8. I applaud what must have been a very hard decision.

Two questions come to mind:
-will this mean the remaining horses onsite will leave? Or will owners/trainers continue to quarantine onsite?
-what will DIHS decide to do with the entry/stall/etc money? I know it’s a loss for all, but I am curious what they will decide

Does anyone have thoughts about whether other show management companies in CA will cancel their shows next month? Very curious to see what happens. Just hoping to keep horses safe.

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If they actually ASKED their vet for advice, then the answer is yes.

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The announcement said the Horsepark would remain open for the horses still under quarantine.

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I wasn’t part of the H/J scene at the time, but I think statewide shows were canceled. @Peggy probably knows for sure.

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USEF show is running in Northern California at the moment. Tucson is also running (not California, I know, but close). Based on Horseshowtime, the local/county type stuff for this weekend and next has been cancelled.

There is a West Palms show scheduled for next month (same weekend as Thermal 8 would have run). After Thermal, there are three weeks of shows scheduled at Oaks-Blenheim and then a week at Temecula. At this point it’s a wait and see proposition.

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