Edited Press Release
The Desert International Horse Park (DIHP) announced the cancellation of its fifth week of hunter-jumper competition Sunday in light of the continued outbreak of Equine Herpesvirus (EHV-1) onsite.
Management released the following statement:
Dear Desert Circuit competitors,
We did not receive test results back from the CDFA lab today so we do not have results to report. Horses in isolation, pre-isolation, and quarantine remained stable today. We are awaiting results on six retests and four new tests from Friday. We did not have any additional horses with fevers today that required testing.
Instead of running the horse show next week, we have designed a schedule for each barn/trainer cohort to school horses in dedicated rings to avoid any exposure to horses outside of their barn/trainer cohort. Information regarding the schedule will be distributed via our text message service and will be available on the table outside the show office. If you do not receive text messages from DIHP, text “DIHP” to (877)-313-4059 to register.
We have also developed rules for the next few days and an updated set of protocols. These are also available below.
Once we have additional results, we will update the status of horses. Test results are also always available on the CDFA website.
CDFA DIHP EHM Update, February 20, 2022
MOVING FOWARD PLAN
- Trainers not under quarantine/isolation or awaiting an EHV-1 test result from the CDFA are allowed to leave at any point. Please follow CDFA/USEF guidelines for quarantining horses departing from the horse park. If you leave, please let the office know of your contact information and please report any fevers detected after you have left the horse park and the need to test for EHV-1 to the CDFA.
- If you are staying, we will ensure the services you need to care for your horses properly, including exercise space and medical care, are available on the property.
- The most important priority for those on the grounds is to avoid any horse-to-horse contact, within each barn and across barns. In addition, it is essential to implement proper biosecurity protocols, as attached, at each barn/trainer cohort.
- Grooms are not allowed to work or enter any barn other than their employed barn/trainer. Grooms may not work for multiple barns/trainers.
- The planned horse show for Week 5 has been canceled. Instead we will be organizing dedicated ring usage by barn/trainer cohort for use each day. This way horses from your barn/trainer can exercise without interacting with other horses. We will be in contact with scheduled riding time and designated rings today. Only asymptomatic horses may be allowed out of their stalls.
- Please avoid use of the bridle path and the warm-up ring next to the grass field. This ring will be dedicated for asymptomatic horses currently in quarantine.
- If you have a reserved paddock you may continue to use it but only when horses are not in paddocks next to it.
- Use of the wash racks is allowed, though every other stall will be blocked. Please do not wash a horse next to another one. We will sanitize the wash racks at least twice a day.
- Horse spas will not allowed to open during this time.
- If you have a horse with a fever, please call our onsite vet, East-West Veterinary Service. Do not take the horse to the clinic. Any horse with a fever that is being tested will be moved to a pre-isolation area until the test results are available. Positive EHV-1 horses will be moved to isolation.
- For those interested in purchasing Platinum Performance Equine + Additional Zinc and Lysine Pak, we have placed a bulk order. When it comes in, please let us know in the office and we will have it delivered. The use of this product is solely a decision by you and your vet.
- We will have food/drinks available for breakfast and lunch available in VIP starting Tuesday. This will be complimentary to those at the horse park.
- If there is anything else you need, please let us know.
DIHP BIOSECURITY PROTOCOLS
- Avoid animal-to-animal contact.
- Check and record temperatures twice daily with a unique thermometer per horse.
- Report any suspicion of illness in horses to East-West and your vet, including a temperature over 101.5 F, or over 101.0 F if on a NSAID.
- Do not share any equipment between horses. Each horse needs its own brushes, thermometer, and alcohol spray bottle. DO NOT SHARE TACK!
- When filling water buckets, DO NOT dip the end of the hose in each bucket. Hold the hose above the water when filling.
- Wash/sanitize hands thoroughly before and after direct horse contact.
- Limit human-horse contact.
- Because humans can be an indirect means of disease transmission, avoid moving between barns unless absolutely necessary.
- Have a bleach foot bath available for anyone coming in and leaving your barn area. These should be changed whenever dirty and/or at least twice daily.
- Limit use of communal areas such as cross-ties and wash racks and do not use adjacent ties or racks when another horse is present.
