As of May 17th 2011 the High River Ag society is closing its facility for the next 21 days due to the outbreak of EHV-1 (Equine Herpes Virus). This is strictly a precautionary measure and we have not had any confirmed case at our facility. This decision has not been made lightly but with the consultation of all stakeholders, board members, our general manager and veterinarians. We are looking out for the welfare of everyone concerned.
It is with our utmost apologies that we will be cancelling the Little Britches Rodeo, and the 4-H Beef Show at our facility on May 23, 2011. The 4H Beef Show & Sale will now be held at the Highwood Auction Mart.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank all of our sponsors, volunteers and contestants. We will be in contact with these individuals over the next couple days.
If there are any concerns please visit the High River Ag Society website at www.hragsociety.ca
Below is a statement released by the Equine Veterinarians in Alberta.
The Equine veterinarians in Alberta who are involved in the EHV-1 situation had a conference call today. To confirm, there is 1 confirmed case of EHV-1 in Alberta. Two horses that were in contact have been tested and are confirmed negative as of today (May 17th,2011), on both blood and nasal PCR testing. There are two other horses with mild temperature increases that are still being tested. there are NO Deaths in Alberta as of May 17th,2011.
The horse that tested positive is being treated well and is recovering from Mild neurologic signs. It was the consensus of the 7 veterinarians on the conference call that non cutting or reining competitions are at a very low risk at this time. We recommend that owners follow common sense Bio-security precautions. We will post a Bio-security link as soon as possible for your reference. This group of Veterinarians will be monitoring this situation daily and are planning another call early Friday May 20th, 2011 in Alberta. Greg Andrews, DVM