California EHV-1 outbreak: six horses put down as competition is halted

Nasal discharge can be a sign of equine herpes virus — (Image credit: credit unknown)

Equestrian competitions have been suspended in California for two weeks owing to an ongoing equine herpes (EHV-1) outbreak in which six horses have been put down.

Yesterday (4 March) the California Department of Food & Agriculture said the neurological strain of EHV-1 had been detected in multiple horses in several counties in California. The California state vet has recommended that all hunter/jumper events, the most affected group, are postponed for 28 days, and that all equine events and non-essential horse movement is postponed for 14 days.

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

TOPICS

Since joining H&H in 2018, Becky has covered a broad range of equestrian news including welfare matters, veterinary studies, FEI Tribunal hearings and road safety campaigns. She has also interviewed top riders including Scott Brash, John Whitaker and Ian Stark, to name just a few. Becky’s reporting has taken her to Canada for Spruce Meadows and France for Pau five-star, as well as the Royal Highland and Blair Castle International Horse Trials closer to home. She was also a key part of the remote reporting team for the Tokyo Olympics and the Europeans.

California EHV-1 outbreak: six horses put down as competition is halted

To date cases have been reported in horses who had been competing at the Desert International Horse Park in Thermal, the Los Angeles Equestrian Centre, and a venue in Rancho Murieta. Six horses have been put down owing to the severity of their clinical signs.

“EHV-1 lives dormant in many horses. The increase in positives is expected as we test asymptomatic horses for EHV-1. The additional testing will allow the USEF community to mitigate the spread of the virus and safeguard horses,” he said.

“The expected increase in confirmed positive EHV-1 cases is not necessarily alarming if the horse is asymptomatic.”

When sport restarts, USEF will provide an EHV-1 declaration form for competitors to complete on arrival at competitions as a further measure to protect horses and facilitate tracking. In order for horses to compete at FEI competitions, horses must have a negative EHV-1 PCR test.

You might also be interested in:

Equine herpes virus – all you need to know right now

‘Mistakes were made’: poor decisions and human error contributed to European EHV-1 outbreak