Barn R on the backstretch at Nebraska's Fonner Park has been placed under a 21-day quarantine after a pair of horses tested postive for equine herpes virus (EHV-1). Both horses were subsequently euthanized.
On Wednesday, Mar. 9, a horse residing in Barn R had a high temperature and was displaying mobility issues. A first round of testing at NVLS in Ames, Iowa, returned results that were inconclusive, requiring an additional sample to be drawn. A second horse began displaying similar symptoms the same day. On the evening of Mar. 11, lab results were released and proved positive for EHV-1.
Horses stables in Barn R are restricted from having contact with the rest of the horse population and any horses entering Fonner Park will not be able to leave the stable area until the quarantine is lifted. The track has begun sanitizing the paddock, starting gate and other common areas for horses.
“We enacted immediate protocol and now we must adhere to and increase our measures of safety,” said Fonner Park CEO Chris Kotulak. “Everyone knows they have a role to play in our return to normalcy. Sadly, there are many in the stable area now shut down from earning a paycheck to feed themselves and their horses.”
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