After closing the Pathfinder Park arena for two weeks over concerns with the outbreak of the Equine Herpes Virus (EHV-1) throughout the western U.S., Fremont County officials have decided to reopen use of the arena. Fremont County Extension Director Tommy Covington said that after conferring with the Board of Commissioners this morning it was decided to again allow scheduled events at the Pathfinder arena.
Covington said after assessing the situation with veterinarians at CSU it was determined that Fremont County is at the bottom of the risk assessment for EHV-1. Covington said concerns have also been alleviated to a certain extent because the ten confirmed cases of the virus in Colorado horses show that all of them had either a direct or secondary connection to the horse cutting championships in Ogden, Utah, in early May where the infections originated.
Covington said reopening the Pathfinder arena today will allow some local 4-H events to go on as scheduled. He said if individual owners have a horse that participated in any recent cutting events or rodeos they may want to isolate their horses for another week as an additional precaution.
EHV-1 is contagious between horses and camelids, but cannot be spread to humans or other animals treated at the hospital such as cats and dogs. EHV-1 may cause only mild, flu-like illness in many cases, but some horses may become seriously ill with neurologic disease and pregnant mares can abort. EHV-1 may be fatal in some severely infected horses. The most common way for EHV-1 to spread is by direct horse-to-horse contact. The virus also can spread through the air, contaminated equipment, clothing and hands.
Symptoms in infected horses include fever, decreased coordination, nasal discharge, urine dribbling, loss of tail tone and hind-limb weakness. Horses may also face lethargy or lean against a wall or fence to maintain balance. They may become unable to get up or stand. Affected horses can be treated with supportive care, but there is no specific cure and some horses do not fully recover.
Colorado State University veterinarians are recommending that horse owners continue to use caution when deciding whether or not to transport their horses and that they continue to take biosecurity precautions, such as washing hands before and after contacting horses and limiting access to their grounds by other horses, which would allow transmission of EHV-1 and other contagious diseases.