Florida animal health officials are keeping close watch on horses stabled at the Horse Shows in the Sun (HITS) facility in Ocala, Fla., which is currently under quarantine after several horses previously housed at the facility tested positive for equine herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1), according to a March 5 statement from the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS).

The Ocala EHV-1 outbreak began when a horse that had previously been stabled in Tent 7 at the HITS facility was diagnosed with wild-type EHV-1 on Feb. 21. That horse, who exhibited neurologic clinical signs associated with the disease, has responded to treatment and remains in stable condition at the University of Florida (UF) College of Veterinary Medicine’s Large Animal Hospital.

Subsequently, five additional horses previously stabled in Tents 3 and 6 at the HITS showgrounds tested positive for the EHV-1:

• One horse is located at Redfield Farm, in Ocala; and
• Four horses are from Miles Away Farm, in Loxahatchee, Fla. One of the positive horses located at Miles Away Farm developed neurologic signs and is being treated at UF.

Additionally, one horse that is linked to the HITS showgrounds but has no clinical signs of the disease has tested positive for EHV-1 and is located at Calder Farms, in Ocala