That’s fantastic. If he were my horse I’d have PCR and a culture done on him. Maybe I’ll message the trainer.
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While I am thrilled for everyone, I am just curious if they have any recourse. I am sure they are still out a ton! Thank goodness this had a happy ending though!
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So I haven’t been following all the science discussions, but I’ll pose this to others more learned than I: when you have 5 (or however many) CFT tests in a row that are positive, and then one negative test, wouldn’t you worry that the sixth one might be a false negative? Would you at least repeat the test to make sure the “0” stays consistent and is not an anomaly? It just seems weird that one negative test, which leaves us with no explanation of why the prior 5 were positive, is considered conclusive that the horse has no infectious condition and is safe to mingle with other horses…
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O. M. G.
On the one hand, I am so, so, so glad the horse is finally getting sprung from quarantine.
On the other hand, I feel terrible for both the family and the horse after this hideous roller coaster they’ve been on for months.
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So thrilled for all of them! 
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What great news!!! And that’s great that the USDA wants to try to figure out what caused this. It was bizarre enough to have all of the negative Western Blots with the suspect CFTs, even stranger for the WB to turn suspect, followed by both negative. WTF!!! Regardless, so glad to hear this has a happy ending!!!
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Great news!
I am sorry for the family’s financial problems, but I don’t think that there’s any recourse. The seller, shipper, and USDA all acted in good faith and within required protocols. I don’t think you could prove any negligence or bad faith.
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I have been watching this thread from the start. This made me teary. How wonderful!
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Wow! Such good news and what a relief for all!
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I hope they can post a freedom ride picture once he’s on the truck!
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So happy to hear this. I really thought Waffles was doomed. What a relief for his people and Waffles to finally be released. They have all been thru the ringer.
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Especially with the Western Blot coming back as suspect… seems a bit strange. I would be interested to follow up with the USDA about what they find.
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I haven’t posted but have followed this awful, incredible story, and have to express my relief and happiness that this young girl is finally going to get her horse. What a nightmare for her and her family, and the trainer, as well. Yes it seems the trainer made mistakes, but I have to believe she had the family’s and horse’s best interest in mind through it all.
Raising a drink to Waffles!
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First and foremost, thrilled for the horse and for his kid, this is a far happier ending than we all feared!!
But separately, who do you think they would have recourse against? This was all driven by USDA public safety regulations, there is no discretion, and legally it was the trainer/family’s choice to prolong the quarantine and keep incurring the costs rather than sending him back (and I recognize that was not without costs too, but it would have ended the quarantine charges). It’s been a terrible situation for all involved, but I don’t really see why there would be legal recourse here, the regulations are what they are and until the horse tested negative, there was nothing the USDA or the quarantine facility could do under the current regs.
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It sounds like the USDA stuck to their original standards from start to finish, and as soon as the horse tested negative, he was cleared to leave. It’s just very unfortunate it took such a long time.
It will be interesting to see if they change anything about their testing system.
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Agreed. This just wasn’t a matter of discretion, the standard was what it was, it was only a matter of how long the family wanted to keep trying. Hopefully, some amount of education will come out of this, or at a minimum maybe it will cause the USDA to take a hard look at things. Although all things considered, I have to think that if they have to err on one side or the other, they are always going to choose to err on the side of false positives not false negatives. But maybe there will be progress. Let’s hope.
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No kidding !!!
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Wow. This is great news!
I do wish the family and the horse the best of luck, and hope they get him out of quarantine and to their own barn ASAP. After that, hopefully they can have the a vet of their own choosing check him out, and then can go forward and enjoy the process of recovering from this ordeal while they bond with the horse.
I am glad to hear that the USDA wants to better understand why the tests were so inconclusive for so long. It seems really odd. Hopefully the family and USDA are able to work together and find some answers, in the wake of the stress of the last 70 plus days with the entire situation, and at least gain some insight concerning why the tests were so contradictory for so long.
I also hope the family gets clarification and documentation from everyone involved in the purchase and import of this horse, from start to finish. Especially documentation related to all the tests, and line item detail on everything they were invoiced. If there is an issue with the way tests were done, or they were invoiced incorrectly for the day charges (or in an unsupportable and unethical manner), or if any one of the professionals who was supposed to perform a role as part of this transaction and during the shipping and import process failed to follow through on their professional duties… then I hope the family can get some sort of financial relief or restitution, and an apology.
But for now, congrats, and I just hope the rest of this journey getting the horse out of quarantine is uneventful and smooth.
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Fantastic!
I really don’t think the family has any recourse or means of acquiring “compensation” from the USDA. Anyone is welcome to prove me wrong, I just think that chances are very slim to none. I’m just not sure on what grounds they could make a strong claim.
I’d love more insight on why the horse kept testing positive on the CFT, and then the WB, and then was negative on both.
I really hope that this horse is everything they wanted and more! Best of luck to them moving forward.
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HOORAY!!!
THANK YOU for updating us. I’m so happy for this horse that I couldn’t help from crying when I read the good news.
Hopefully, despite the intense emotional strain and financial burden this ordeal has put on the family, they are still able to enjoy and love and cherish Waffles. They must be over the moon!
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