Horse industry holds its breath over virus outbreak

Greeley Stampede officials, rodeo promoters, horse owners and others involved in the equine industry are holding their collective breath that an outbreak of deadly equine herpes virus (EHV-1) won’t result in a full-scale assault on local horses and the cancellation of more horse-related events in Northern Colorado.

Of particular concern is the potential impact on the annual Stampede, which makes a huge economic contribution to the region, particularly in Greeley.

“The worst-case scenario for us, should there be a significant number of outbreaks, is that it would really hurt the participation of our rodeo contestants and others at the Stampede,” said Bill Ogg, Stampede executive director.

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Ogg said the annual Stampede has an estimated economic impact on Greeley and Weld County of “well over $20 million.”

“It would be a huge blow,” he said of the possible effects of EHV-1 on the rodeo schedule.

The 2011 Stampede is set to begin June 24 and run through July 4.

The outbreak is believed to have started after the National Cutting Horse Association’s Western National Championships held in Ogden, Utah, from April 29 to May 8. The first cases confirmed, on May 13 by the Colorado State University veterinary diagnostic laboratory, were in two horses returned from the event.

Christi Lightcap of the Colorado Department of Agriculture said the virus — which can be fatal to horses but is harmless to humans and other animals — has been confirmed in nine horses. Two horses in Weld County and two in Larimer County have been quarantined.

Lightcap said there were 12 quarantine and hold orders in effect as of May 26 on 22 horses across the state, and a total of 34 horses in nine states and Canada had been confirmed infected by the highly contagious disease.

Two Colorado horses — one in Weld County — had been euthanized as of May 26.

Lightcap said the Ogden event is considered to be the epicenter of the outbreak.

“It’s what we’re calling the point of interest,” she said. “It might have started somewhere else and moved to Utah. But eight of the nine horses that have tested positive were in Utah, and the ninth came in contact with a horse from that show.”

Counties with quarantine orders in effect in addition to Weld and Larimer included Bent, Boulder, Garfield, Gunnison, Mesa and Morgan as of May 25.

The CDA reported on May 26 that no new EHV-1 cases had been reported since May 20. The disease can take up to 16 days for symptoms to show, Lightcap said. Symptoms include runny discharge from the nose, fever, lack of coordination, hind limb weakness and general lethargy. Lightcap said the disease is not always fatal unless the horse becomes severely affected neurologically.

“There is no cure, nothing that you can give the horse a shot and it goes away,” she said. Lightcap also noted that the disease’s symptoms can be treated and it can become dormant.

“But it can re-emerge when the horse is stressed, so it never really goes away,” she said.

The CDA is urging horse owners to isolate sick horses and to contact their vet immediately.

A few cancellations

So far only a few horse-related events in Colorado have been canceled as a result of the outbreak. In Northern Colorado, the Colorado Pro Rodeo Association-sponsored “Rodeo Rocks the Fort” set for May 28-29 at the CSU Equine Center was canceled.

“I’m looking at our loss to not hold the rodeo is about $6,000,” said Siri Stevens, a spokeswoman for the event.

Meanwhile, the outbreak canceled three horse events at the end of May and early June at the Colorado State Fairgrounds in Pueblo: The Zamora Roping Competition, with no alternate date set; The Mounted Shooting Regional, rescheduled to Oct. 7-10 and the Sagebrush Slide Cow Horse Show, rescheduled to Aug. 10-14.

This year’s State Fair is set for Aug. 25 through Sept. 5.

Lightcap said the CDA is not making any decisions on whether horse-related events should be canceled or rescheduled, leaving that to event promoters.

“Cancellations are being decided by individual organizations, not by us,” she said. “At this point, the discussion is within one specific horse population, which is the cutting horse industry.”

Stampede director Ogg said the annual Greeley event — which includes concerts and other attractions as well as rodeo competitions — could still be held if the virus continues to pose a threat in late June. “(The virus) is not a danger to humans in any way,” he said. “That needs to be emphasized.”

Steve Porter covers agribusiness and natural resources for the Northern Colorado Business Report. He can be reached at 970-232-3147 or at sporter@ncbr.com.