With 5 Horses Infected, State Cancels Weekend Sales

An outbreak of a potentially deadly equine herpes virus in Loudoun County has prompted Virginia's state veterinarian to cancel all public horse sales and auctions statewide through Monday.

Five horses have tested positive for the EHV-1 virus, which is highly contagious and causes respiratory and neurological problems for infected horses, some of which have to be euthanized. Six farms in Loudoun, two in Fauquier County, one in Culpeper County and one at Quantico Marine Base in Prince William County have been quarantined. Three horses tested negative.

The outbreak has Northern Virginia's horse community on high alert, because although the virus is not harmful to humans, people can spread it via their shoes and clothes. Horse handlers on the quarantined farms are wearing full-body plastic suits and spraying shoes and clothing with a bleach solution to prevent spreading the infection.

State veterinarian Richard Wilkes imposed the sales and auctions moratorium on Wednesday, and it could be extended if more horses test positive. Only two auctions had been planned for this weekend, but more will be scheduled because the horse show and sale season is just beginning.

"We're trying to avoid places where horses will come in from all over, co-mingle and then go out all over," said Elaine Lidholm, a spokeswoman for the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. "The things that make a sale or auction barn particularly vulnerable is that people tend to be very hands-on. They're pulling back the lips, looking at the teeth and patting the horses down, and they don't wash their hands and go on to the next horse."

The virus first came to the attention of state officials less than two weeks ago, when a horse from Maryland tested positive at Marion duPont Scott Equine Medical Center in Leesburg. The other horses that tested positive were also at the center, which was quarantined Feb. 20.

Lidholm said it is unclear how the virus, which made its first known appearance in the United States about six years ago, made its way to Loudoun. Infected horses undergo therapy for respiratory problems and such neurological symptoms as stumbling and weak legs. In severe cases, horses are unable to stand and must be euthanized.

It is also unclear how the cancellations and quarantines will affect Virginia's horse industry, which has a $1.4 billion impact on the state's economy, according to a 2001 survey by the Virginia Agricultural Statistics Service. As of 2001, the owners of the state's estimated 170,000 horses spent $505 million in annual expenses. Sixty percent of the value of all horse sales were in Northern Virginia.

"A lot of people feel the industry has grown and has an even larger impact today,'' said Jason Jones, a statistical analyst for the Virginia Agriculture Department who is helping to prepare a new survey.

Horse and stable owners said they understand the need for the cancellations and for restricting movements on and off farms. And they are imposing their own restrictions. Morven Park in Leesburg, for example, has canceled all equine events through March 9, including a dressage show, clinic and a competition for area high schools.

But it hasn't been easy. "These are people who have based their life" on horses, said Charlie Muldoon, the park's director of development. "It's what they spend their money on. And the fact that they can't go out on the weekend and enjoy the show circuits or ride a trail is devastating."

Many horse boarders have stopped accepting new horses until the warnings are lifted, people in the industry said. Veterinarians are also reporting an increase in the number of horse owners seeking booster shots against the virus.

State officials said the moratorium on animal sales and auctions is highly unusual but has happened before. In 2002, for example, the state canceled all poultry shows and competitions because of an outbreak of avian influenza.