Lexington, Ky. - The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) has issued an Extension of Recommended Caution for California Equine Events. The California State Veterinarian recommends that all equine events of any discipline continue to be postponed through March 31, and all non-essential horse movements also be postponed at least through March 31. In line with this extension, USEF-licensed competitions in California scheduled to take place during this window have taken the following actions:

• March 26-27    Dressage at Southern California Equestrian    Cancelled
• March 24-27    Rancho California AHA Annual Spring    Postponed until June
• March 31-April 3    Galway Downs International Horse Trials    Requested FEI approval to move to April 1-3

USEF applauds the efforts of competition management to prioritize horse and safety welfare during this important timeframe. USEF will continue to work closely with the CDFA, competition organizers, and participants to manage the EHV-1 situation in CA and provide updates to our membership. The information provided is based on information available to USEF at the time of distribution.

USEF recommends the following requirements and best practices for biosecurity are implemented on showgrounds. Competition Managers may require additional protocols.

• Check and record temperatures twice daily and post on stall door
• Any suspicion of illness in horses, including a temperature over 101.5°F, should be immediately reported to the show office and veterinarian.
• Immediately isolate and/or quarantine any horse exhibiting symptoms of illness
• DO NOT travel to another competition for 14 days
• Avoid animal-to-animal contact
• Do not share equipment between horses. IF YOU MUST SHARE, scrub and clean equipment with detergent and dry completely between shared use.
• When filling water buckets, DO NOT dip the end of the hose in each bucket. Hold the hose above the water when filling.
• Wash/sanitize hands thoroughly before and after direct horse contact
• Limit human-horse contact
• Because humans can be a means of disease transmission, avoid moving between barns unless absolutely necessary

If you have questions on the USEF protocols, please email USEF at [email protected]. For additional information, please refer to the California Department of Food and Agriculture and Equine Disease Communication Center websites.

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^{To view previous EHV-related releases from USEF, visit the Competition Safety and Biosecurity page.}