United States Eventing Association

With sincere regret the organizing committee of the Briar Fox Farm Spring Horse Trials has made the decision to cancel next weekend’s show that was to be held on May 28-29, 2011. We feel it is our responsibility to operate in an abundance of caution in order not to risk your horse’s health. By canceling we also reduce the chances of spreading this disease.

We have had extensive conversations with our Show Veterinarian, Local Vets, our region’s State Animal Health officials and our USEA Area Chair concerning the recent cases of Equine Herpesvirus (EHV-1) in our area. The general consensus of professional opinion is that it is advisable that you limit your horse’s exposure to other horses and restrict travel in and out of your barn until the infection is contained. There is no telling how long that will take or how severe this outbreak will be, but officials are hard at work to prevent a nationwide outbreak. At this writing no Kansas cases have yet been reported. However, we have competitors entered in this show from states that do have diagnosed cases as well as currently suspect cases. We seriously considered and then sensibly determined that we cannot ensure the health, safety and welfare of your horses concerning their possible exposure to EHV-1 disease at our show. Because of the very short incubation period, requiring a health certificate is no guarantee that an infected horse cannot enter the show grounds. Even if we were to mandate the most meticulous horse care and biosecurity protocols on our property during the show, there is still considerable risk to you. If a horse gets sick at our show this coming weekend, then all horses in attendance would be quarantined here at BFF for an unknown amount of time.

Regretfully, as stated in the omnibus, Briar Fox will not be able to issue refunds due to this cancellation. We will still need to pay all the bills we have incurred. The best thing that riders, owners and trainers can do for their horses at this time is to stay informed and stay at home. A good source of reliable and up to date information is the American Association of Equine Practitioners website (www.aaep.org). The USDA:APHIS:VS has posted on its website 2011 EHV-1/EHM incident information, including situation reports (listings of suspect and confirmed cases, locations, etc.), recommendations for exposed horses and more (http://www.aphis.usda.gov/vs/nahss/equine/ehv/).