Three horses at the University of Connecticut have been confirmed positive for equine herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1) and are showing neurologic signs. Several exposed horses are showing respiratory signs.

The university’s 72-horse herd is currently under quarantine with biosecurity measures in place. The horses are being treated and monitored.

Connecticut State Veterinarian Mary Jane Lis, MS, DVM, PhD, said this outbreak does not appear to be linked to any other reported cases, and it is likely an example of the virus’ ability to remain latent in a horse and recrudesce (become active) when the horse is stressed.

“You can’t rule (latency) out with this disease,” said Lis. “This time of year we’ve been having such wonderful weather, but it’s not the greatest for respiratory disease. People are out there riding a lot more and working the horses harder than they normally would in the winter.”

The Connecticut Department of Agriculture’s scheduled sale of rescue horses at the UConn polo arena on Jan. 20 has been postponed. The sale will be rescheduled once the UConn herd is released from quarantine, which will be at least three weeks after the last case of EHV is recorded. The rescue horses are at a separate location and have not been exposed to any of the UConn horses.

“They have not been here, and that’s why we cancelled it–so they wouldn’t be here,” said Karen Grava, media communications director for the University.

According to Grava, horses in the UConn herd are used for polo, riding instruction, animal science courses, research, and the University’s Morgan breeding program. University course work involving contact with the horses has been suspended.

EHV-1 is a strain of herpesvirus that can cause respiratory disease, abortions, fevers, and neurologic signs that range from incoordination and weakness in the hind limbs to paralysis.

For more information on EHV-1, check out our free PDF library of EHV-related articles including images, or all our archived EHV-1 articles on TheHorse.com