Over the past two weeks TheHorse.com has followed reports of equine herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1) positives in Florida, Utah, New Jersey, and Quebec. Sure, this isn’t our first encounter with EHV-1. As long as horses travel to and fro, and as long as they congregate at events and competitions, we’ll likely hear about the occasional EHV-1 case, associated cases, and sometimes even outbreaks.

I’m encouraged that this time around we haven’t really seen the kind of panicked response that occurred in spring 2011. Overall, due to the response of Horse Shows In The Sun (HITS) officials; Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, University of Florida, and local veterinarians; and savvy horse owners, the exchange of information about cases, quarantines, and import restrictions has remained relatively calm.