Department Of Agriculture Issues Warning After Virus Detected In Horse At Expo Square Show

The Oklahoma Department of Agriculture has a warning for those who brought their horses to a recent horse show at Expo Square, after one of the animals showed symptoms of a serious illness.

The National Reining Breeders Classic took place here at Expo Square last Thursday. Dr. Rod Hall, with the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, says his team worked hard to keep the spread of the virus under control.

Dr. Hall says the Equine Herpes Virus was found in a horse that came from outside of the state.

“It is a herpes virus, so same type of virus that we see with cold sores and lots of other problems in humans and other animals but in horses, it occasionally can cause very significant problems,” Hall said.

Some of those problems include respiratory issues, miscarriage in pregnant female horses and even death. He says on-site veterinarians saw symptoms in the horse and immediately began quarantining the horses and running tests.

In a statement, Brandi Herndon, Chief Agribusiness Officer with Expo Square says, “Expo Square has a stringent Biosecurity Protocol, which will be executed to sanitize and maintain a clean environment. We are appreciative of the quick response from Dr. Hall and his team and will continue to work diligently on behalf of the safety of our guests and animal athletes."

"We believe it's safe knowing the protocols that Expo Square uses for cleaning and disinfection," Hall said.

Horses that attended the event have been allowed to travel back home and quarantine. Dr. Hall says his team believes it's safe for other shows to continue at Expo Square. Ensuring safety, horses at upcoming shows will not be placed in the same area as the infected horse.

Dr. Rod Hall has asked recent horse show participants from Oklahoma to notify his office immediately. He is also asking participants to monitor horses for clinical symptoms of illness or fever while a complete investigation is conducted.