Posted by news intern Megan Burbank

Despite the AP's report Tuesday that last month's nationwide equine herpes outbreak is "contained," horse owners say they'll keep their horses quarantined anyway.

Technically, the Washington State Department of Agriculture is saying that horses without symptoms are now clear to co-mingle. But Jeff Sleeman, a board member of the Washington Cutting Horse Association, says, "Actually, a lot of us are waiting a week or two longer than the recommendation." The first show of the season is is scheduled at the end of the month, he says, but "some of the state vets are saying [to wait] 28 days."

Why the fuss?

Herpes can kill horses, unlike humans. And since Equine Herpes 1 is an airborne virus, it doesn't even require on skin-to-skin contact to be transmitted between animals as it does in humans. This high communicability makes events like horse cutting competitions—which require horses to separate a single animal from a livestock herd and are typically scheduled around the state this time of year—potential breeding grounds for outbreaks. In fact, the current outbreak reportedly began at a cutting competition in Utah, which resulted in 32 confirmed infections.

But for now, Sleeman's horses will stay where they are. "We've been totally shut down," he says.

Sleeman's horses are under quarantine, and he isn't alone in such protective measures. He says that the Washington Cutting Horse Association is suggesting that members exercise caution in the wake of the outbreak. At least twelve horses have died from herpes nationwide, and 72 have gotten sick, eight of them in Washington. It is likely that many more have been exposed to the virus. And it's not just the infected horses who are suffering the impact. Sleeman says caring for sick horses and preventing further infection has begun to take an economic toll on horse owners, since many, like him, depend on their animals to make a living, but are keeping their horses under voluntary quarantine. "That's how we make our livelihood," he said. "It's affecting everything," particularly, he says, in places where local economies rely on the outside revenues horse shows bring to their towns.

Despite the economic impact, the onus to contain the outbreak falls to owners like Sleeman, since the state doesn't have the funds or staffing to regulate the containment effort. Dr. Leonard Eldridge, the state veterinarian, has suggestions for keeping EH-1 at bay—he recommends vaccinating horses, taking their temperatures at competitions, and sending home would-be competitors who have fevers—but he says he isn't in a position to enforce them. "I don’t have that staff," he said. "And with budget cuts it’s getting worse."

As for the outbreak itself, Eldridge seemed to think it was on its way out. He praised state horse owners for their cooperation in the quarantine. "We feel we're at the tail end," he says. He says that horses who haven't tested positive for EH-1 or exhibited any clinical signs of herpes are free to travel and compete.