As of Feb. 18, there are 72 reported cases of equine herpesvirus-1 in New Mexico and two related cases in Texas. All New Mexico cases are in Sunland Park, and all are related to the Sunland Park Racetrack. Related training centers Frontera, Lazy S and Jovi are also involved. The location of the infected horses in Texas hasn’t yet been released, but the horse was previously located at Sunland Park. 

Of the 74 total horses, nine have been euthanized. 

“Frontera has always been included in the original quarantine perimeter,” stated a Feb. 1 release from the New Mexico Livestock Board. “No movement of horses is being allowed in or out of the Sunland Park quarantine perimeter. Officials with the Livestock Board, Racing Commission and Sunland Park will continue to work together to resolve the issue.”

New Mexico’s acting state veterinarian Dr. Alexandra Eckhoff spoke to owners, trainers and grooms who gathered on Feb. 1 for a pair of meetings—one in English, one in Spanish—hosted by racetrack officials.

Eckhoff urged horsemen to continue to:

—Wash their hands before and after working with a horse

—Disinfect their clothing and footwear before and after working with a horse

—Wash and disinfect any items—feed/water buckets, grooming gear, saddles and other tack—horses have touched or might touch

—Avoid walking through barns where they have no horses

—Take the temperature of their horse(s) twice a day, then record and report that information daily by order of the New Mexico Racing Commission.  Fever is often the first indicator of EHV-1.

The Racing Commission last week said horsemen who fail to take and report the temperatures of their horses risk being fined $250 and/or having their license suspended.

In addition to state government’s regulatory measures, Sunland Park has taken its own steps to control the potential spread of the virus. Racetrack officials installed a compliance officer last week to ensure that, among other things, men and women at the track were taking and accurately reporting their horses’ body temperatures. 

“EHV-1 is not a death sentence for a horse,” Dr. Tim Hanosh, director of NMDA’s Veterinary Diagnostic Services laboratory, said. “Most horses will get over the fever. Some will develop minor neurological signs they can recover from. And, unfortunately, a few will develop severe neurological problems they can’t recover from.”

Several barns at Sunland Park Racetrack remain under quarantine following the first EHV-1 confirmation Jan. 21. As an extra precaution, the Livestock Board on Jan. 22 established a broader quarantine perimeter that encircles Sunland Park Racetrack and the three nearby horse-training centers—Frontera, Jovi and Lazy S.  

See updates on the New Mexico Livestock Board site.