US Equestrian has been made aware of an outbreak of Equine Herpes Virus (EHV-1) associated with barrel racing and rodeo-type events in Texas and Oklahoma. Several horses displaying neurologic signs of Equine Herpes Myeloencephalopathy (EHM) have been identified, with some horses testing positive on PCR.

USEF is continuing to actively monitor the situation. As of November 21, 2025, the identified cases have been in the barrel racing/women’s professional rodeo subpopulation of horses. Any USEF horses housed on the same premises as horses that have participated in barrel racing and rodeo events in Texas and Oklahoma should remain on the premises and be monitored for signs of illness.  

Currently, there have been no links or association with USEF events. Thus, at this time, we support the continuation of USEF events with the implementation of biosecurity procedures in place. However, this outbreak serves as a reminder of the potential disease risks associated with large commingling equine events. It underscores the importance of biosecurity. The following biosecurity measures should be taken by competitors and trainers at all USEF competitions:

• Ensure compliance with USEF EHV-1 and Influenza vaccination requirement (within 6 months of entry to venue) 
• Twice daily temperature taking and recording 
• Immediate reporting of a febrile horse (temperature over 101.5F) as per USEF Rule  
• Observe horses for clinical signs of disease and report any clinical signs to the veterinarian 
• Avoid sharing of equipment without cleaning and disinfecting between uses 
• Limit horse to horse contact (maintain separation while walking or riding or driving) 
• Limit individuals touching horses to essential personnel 
• Ensure horse trailers are properly cleaned and disinfected between loads of horses especially those loads containing sick horses

For competition managers, this is a good time to review your biosecurity protocols and requirements. As always, we recommend you consult the local and state veterinarians to determine the specific disease risks for your event. We recommend the following: 

• Verification of EHV-1 and influenza vaccinations are current (within 6 months of entry)  
• Confirm Isolation Plan and Stabling is in place. For more information visit here. 
• Encourage twice daily temperature monitoring. You can find an optional temperature log here.
• Ensure compliance with USEF mandatory reporting of horses with fever (a temperature over 101.5F). You can download signage to post here.
• Ensure stables are clean and disinfected at time of horse arrival 
• Ensure available disinfectant is effective against EHV-1  
• Ensure only healthy horses enter the competition grounds with health declaration at minimum. You can view a sample template here.
• Post Top Tips for Keeping Horses Healthy poster 
• Maintain awareness of EHV-1 Outbreaks and Alerts by visiting www.equinediseasecc.org  
• Identify additional biosecurity risks at your event and venue with the risk assessment tools found in the Biosecurity Toolkit for Equine Events   

Finally, we understand that all those in the horse community are concerned about this outbreak and seek the most up-to-date information. We recommend utilizing the Equine Disease Communication Center, which was created for the purpose of distributing information from state animal health officials in times of crisis. The EDCC has created a page specifically for this outbreak here: https://www.equinediseasecc.org/news/article/Equine-Herpesvirus-Myeloencephalopathy-(EHM)-Outbreak

If you have additional questions or concerns, please email [email protected].