Second Wisconsin Stallion Tests Positive for Contagious Equine Metritis; 42 States Now Affected

Posted by Fran Jurga | 26 January 2009 | The Jurga Report at Equisearch.com

Bulletin from the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture:

A second stallion quarantined in Outagamie County, Wisconsin has tested positive for contagious equine metritis, or CEM, a treatable reproductive disease of horses.

The National Veterinary Services Laboratories in Ames, Iowa, reported the positive test result Thursday afternoon, January 22. The stallion, a 4-year-old Paint, has been quarantined since January 16, when state animal health authorities learned he had been at a Wisconsin artificial insemination center at the same time as another infected stallion from Outagamie County.

The Paint was one of 18 stallions quarantined because they had been exposed to that earlier reported CEM-positive stallion in Outagamie County. All are located in Wisconsin. In addition, 29 exposed mares are quarantined in Wisconsin because they have been exposed to CEM-positive stallions.

State and federal animal health personnel will examine the newly identified stallion's breeding records and movement history to trace what mares may have been exposed via natural breeding or artificial insemination, and what stallions may have been exposed via shared artificial insemination equipment.

Nationwide, the CEM investigation now involves at least 383 horses in 42 states, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The outbreak began in mid-December, when a Quarter horse stallion on a Kentucky farm tested positive during routine testing for international semen shipment.

CEM is a contagious bacterial infection that passes between mares and stallions during mating. It can also be transmitted on contaminated insemination equipment. Stallions do not suffer any symptoms, but the infection causes inflammation in the mare's uterine lining. This may prevent pregnancy or cause the mare to abort if she becomes pregnant. The disease is treatable with disinfectants and antibiotics.

CEM is considered a foreign animal disease in the United States. It was first discovered in Europe in 1977, and has appeared in the United States only twice outside quarantine stations where stallions are required to be tested and treated before being released into the country. In 1979, there was an outbreak. In 2006, three Lipizzaner stallions imported into Wisconsin from Eastern Europe tested positive after their arrival, but before they had been used for breeding.

More information about CEM is available on the U.S. Department of Agriculture website.

Nine Horses in New York Potentially Exposed to Contagious Equine Metritis

(Equine health announcement provided by the state government for New York horse owner and breeders)

Today New York State Agriculture Commissioner Patrick Hooker alerted the state's horse owners and breeders to the potential exposure of their horses to Contagious Equine Metritis (CEM), a contagious venereal disease of horses. Currently, there are nine known stallions outside of New York State that have tested positive for CEM and that have potentially exposed hundreds of other horses, including nine mares in New York State.

Contagious Equine Metritis can be spread when horses are bred, or congenitally from mares to their foals. While natural breeding is more likely to spread the infection, horses involved in artificial breeding can also be exposed to CEM. Infected stallions seldom, if ever, show outward signs of infection, but may act as carriers of the disease.

To date, there are nine mares in New York and approximately 300 other potentially exposed horses in 37 other states.

As potentially exposed horses are identified, they are placed under strict restrictions by state and federal animal health authorities, pending three consecutive negative test results. The New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets and USDA veterinarians have quarantined the nine exposed mares in New York State and have begun testing. None of the potentially exposed mares in New York State or other states have tested positive for CEM at this time.

There are nine stallions that have tested positive for CEM. Used for breeding purposes, these stallions are suspect for possibly exposing mares to CEM. Following are the names of the known stallions that have tested positive for CEM:

• Gentlemen Send Roses, a Paint Horse from Indiana
• Hot Lopin Sensation, a Quarter Horse from Kentucky
• Indian Artifacts, a Quarter Horse from Kentucky
• Invited Back, a Paint Horse from Indiana
• Nanning 374, a Friesian from Wisconsin
• Potential Asset, a Quarter Horse from Texas
• Potential Investment, a Quarter Horse from Kentucky
• Repeated in Red, a Quarter Horse from Kentucky
• Zips Heaven Sent, a Paint Horse from Indiana

CEM may render mares infertile or may cause horses to spontaneously abort, however the disease can be treated with antibiotics and disinfectants. There is no evidence that CEM affects people.

New Yorkers who own mares that have been bred to or have come into contact with any of the positive stallions, and who have not yet been contacted by state or federal animal health officials should contact the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets’ Division of Animal Industry at 518-457-3502.

For more information and regular updates on Contagious Equine Metritis, visit http://www.aphis.usda.gov/newsroom/hot_issues/cem/index.shtml.

Contagious Equine Metritis: The List of Exposed Horses Grows and Grows

by Fran Jurga | 14 January 2009 | The Jurga Report on Equisearch.com

Background: On December 15, 2008, the State of Kentucky confirmed a case of contagious equine metritis (CEM) in a Quarter horse stallion on a farm in central Kentucky. A total of seven stallions have now been confirmed as positive for CEM by the US Department of Agriculture’s National Veterinary Services Laboratories. Four of the infected stallions are located in Kentucky and three are in Indiana. The Indiana stallions spent time on the central Kentucky premises during the 2008 breeding season.

Update: In addition to the positive stallions, the locations of 265 exposed horses have also been confirmed. The total of 272 horses includes 30 stallions and 242 mares located in a total of 38 states. The 30 positive or exposed stallions are located in 10 States, and the 242 exposed mares are in 36 States.

All CEM-positive horses, and all exposed horses that have been located, are currently under quarantine or hold order. Testing and treatment protocols are being put into action for all located horses. There are 94 additional exposed horses still actively being traced.

From the information provided, this disease outbreak has not been linked to horse transportation regulations and all states seem to allowing open admission of horse vans and trailers from other states. This is especially helpful to competition horses headed south and west for winter competition circuits, and for Thoroughbred mares being transported for breeding.

Nonetheless, if you are planning interstate transport of horses, check with the relevant state government offices. Herpes outbreaks can also affect interstate transport.

Texas Among 27 States Testing Horses for Contagious Equine Metritis

(a press release for horse owners from The Texas Animal Health Commission)

Texas is among 27 states tracing and testing horses that may have been exposed to contagious
equine metritis (CEM), a highly contagious disease that can be transmitted during breeding
artificial insemination. CEM can cause temporary infertility of horses. The disease, not known
to affect humans, was first detected in the U.S. in 1978, then again in 1979. In both instances,
the infection was eradicated.

In mid-December 2008, a CEM-infected quarter horse stallion was detected in Kentucky
during routine testing for international semen shipment. The USDA and Kentucky animal health
authorities quickly initiated an epidemiological investigation, leading to the testing of more
horses. To date, seven infected stallions have been detected: four in Kentucky, and three
Indiana. The Indiana stallions had spent part of the 2008 breeding season on the Kentucky
premises where the initial CEM case was detected.

As of January 2, 2009, 78 potentially exposed horses (nine stallions and 69 mares) in 27
have been identified and located, and placed under hold order or quarantine by state animal
health authorities, pending test results.

In Texas, veterinarians from the Texas Animal Health Commission (TAHC), the state regulatory
agency for livestock health, have contacted the owners of 14 mares and a stallion with
epidemiological links to the infected horses. Testing of the 15 horses in Texas will begin this week. Currently, Texas has no known CEM infection.

As the epidemiological investigation widens, at least 250 additional horses are being traced in
more than 25 states.

Dr. Ellis, Texas’ assistant state veterinarian, stressed that CEM is spread during breeding, not by casual contact or shared boarding facilities. CEM may be transmitted either during natural service or through artificial insemination.

CEM-infected horses must be quarantined and treated with disinfectants and antibiotics over a period of several weeks. Following a course of successful treatment and re-evaluation, the
animals may be certified CEM-negative and released from quarantine.

Please check back for more information on the CEM in the Unted States as the situation as it develops.

CEM Update: Oklahoma Mare Under Quarantine After Exposure to Infected Stallion

Oklahoma agriculture officials are warning horse breeders that, to date, one Oklahoma mare has been identified as having been in contact with a Quarter horse stallion in Kentucky infected with contagious equine metritis (CEM), a serious venereal disease affecting horses.

The mare is under quarantine and state officials said that it is not considered a health threat of any kind.

“This is a disease that poses no threat to humans but it could potentially pose a serious economic threat to our state’s horse industry,” said State Veterinarian, Becky Brewer. “It is transmitted between animals during breeding and at this time we have no documentation that it can be spread through artificial insemination.”

Infected stallions can carry the CEM bacteria yet show no clinical signs of the disease. Brewer informed horse owners that detecting the disease is difficult and requires multiple tests over a period of about a week to determine if a horse is infected.

Infected horses can be successfully treated with antibiotics.

“The most important thing for Oklahoma horse breeders to know at this point is that the disease is here and biosecurity measures are critical,” Brewer said. “We have no knowledge of any infected stallions in Oklahoma and owners should be cautious before shipping a mare out of state for breeding.

“Breeders collecting semen for artificial insemination should also make sure they thoroughly clean and disinfect collecting equipment after each use,” she said. “This is how it is being spread and keeping this equipment clean is important.”

Breeding season is just beginning in most parts of the Northern Hemisphere.

CEM ALERT: Three Stallions in Indiana Test Positive for Contagious Equine Metritis

Testing results announced today confirmed that three Northern Indiana stallions are positive for contagious equine metritis (CEM). The stallions were tested as a result of being exposed to a positive Quarter horse stallion while they were kept at a breeding facility in Kentucky.

Alerts have spread to 20 states and Canada as a result of semen from the infected Kentucky stallions being shipped to mare owners for artificial insemination. The Indiana announcement is the first to confirm positive test results for CEM outside of Kentucky and will undoubtedly lead to the investigation of horses they have been with and mares who have been either bred to them or received their semen by AI.

Contagious equine metritis is a transmissible, exotic venereal disease in horses. It usually results in infertility in mares and, on rare occasions, can cause mares to spontaneously abort. Infected stallions exhibit no clinical signs but can carry the CEM bacteria for years. CEM is commonly transmitted during sexual intercourse, but also may be transmitted indirectly through artificial insemination or contact with contaminated hands or objects.

Testing on the remaining horses that were housed at the Kentucky facility continues as an ongoing investigation. Concerned Indiana horse owners should monitor the state animal health website: www.in.gov/boah.

The first cases of CEM in the United States were diagnosed in central Kentucky in 1978. Another outbreak occurred in Missouri in 1979.

CEM Alert in Canada: Semen From Infected Kentucky Stallions Crossed Border into Alberta and Ontario; Government Urges Stop to US Semen Import

Here's a notice from the Canadian government about the possibility of CEM-infected semen being used on Canadian mares. Canada, like the USA, is concerned about losing its CEM-free status for equine transport. This disease has many far-reaching implications for horse breeders, buyers, sellers, and international exhibitors and competitors. It also brings into focus the international scope and impact of horse breeding in North America. While the infection started with Quarter horses, the legal and governmental implecations would affect all breeds and sports.

OTTAWA, December 24, 2008 - The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has launched an investigation after confirming that horse semen was imported into Canada from a United States stallion subsequently determined to be infected with contagious equine metritis (CEM). There are no human health implications with this disease.

United States officials have confirmed that three stallions on a Kentucky farm tested positive for CEM. Shipments of frozen semen from one of these stallions were sent to Ontario and Alberta in the spring of 2008. CFIA and provincial animal health officials are currently tracing the shipments to identify potentially exposed animals. As a precaution, the CFIA will place these animals under quarantine until they have tested negative for CEM.

CEM is a highly contagious disease that affects the reproductive tract of horses. The disease can cause temporary infertility in mares. In most cases, CEM can be successfully treated with disinfectants and antibiotics. CEM is a reportable disease in Canada. This means that all suspected cases must be reported to the CFIA for immediate investigation by inspectors. There are international trade implications if a country loses its CEM-free status.

Until more information is available from the U.S., the CFIA is recommending that the equine industry and importers in Canada exercise caution and refrain from importing breeding horses, embryos and semen from the U.S.

CEM is primarily spread directly during natural breeding, but can also be transmitted during artificial insemination and through contaminated instruments and equipment, such as tail bandages, buckets, sponges and gloves. Therefore, horse owners and veterinarians should maintain strict hygiene when handling breeding mares and stallions to prevent infection.

Infected stallions tend to be the major source of infection, as they can harbor the disease for years without showing any clinical signs. The primary symptoms of infection in mares are short-term infertility and vaginal discharge, but some mares can also carry the disease without clinical signs. Any Canadian horse owners or veterinarians who suspect a horse under their care may be infected with CEM should immediately contact their local CFIA District office.

The CFIA will continue to work with provincial counterparts, affected producers and the equine industry in this response effort. Additional information will be provided as it becomes available.

More information about CEM is available on the CFIA Web site at www.inspection.gc.ca.

CEM Investigation Expands to 20 States: Virginia Horse Farms Quarantined

(State of Virginia news alert)

Dr. Richard L. Wilkes, State Veterinarian with the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS), today placed full or partial quarantines on farms in Floyd and Goochland counties. Mares at these farms have had contact with a stallion in Kentucky that tested positive for Contagious Equine Metritis (CEM).

State animal health officials are trying to verify the location of one other Virginia mare that may have been exposed to the same stallion.

Since the CEM positive stallion was identified in Kentucky last week, animal health officials have identified 20 other states that may have mares that have been exposed to infective semen.

“We don’t know yet if the Virginia mares are infected,” said Wilkes, “but since CEM is not normally found in the US., we have placed the two farms under quarantine to protect other horses while we test the individual mares.”

CEM is a highly contagious venereal disease, which usually results in temporary infertility. Its effects are restricted to the reproductive tract of the mare. Transmission is usually due to sexual contact or artificial insemination but can occur by other types of contact. The disease is diagnosed using special bacterial culturing techniques and has a 100 percent success rate for treatment.

In severe cases, symptoms include an obvious discharge from the vagina. In other cases, mares may be infected with less obvious symptoms or no symptoms at all. Infected mares may fail to become pregnant after breeding or rarely, may abort their foals. Infected stallions usually do not show any symptoms.

The State Veterinarian has quarantined the farms to prevent spread of the disease while exposed mares are evaluated. On farms with isolation capability, only that isolated area is quarantined. Farms that cannot isolate the individual mare are under full quarantine, which restricts movement of any horses on or off the grounds.

For more information on the Virginia suspect cases, click here.

For more information on CEM, click here.

Scroll down to read more posts on this blog containing information from the state of Kentucky, where the infected stallions have been breeding.

Contagious Equine Metritis in Central Kentucky: More Information from University

The University of Kentucky has been working with state officials to resolve the problem of recent contagious equine metritis (CEM) cases at a central Kentucky Quarter horse farm. The university provided this informational article on the disease and the situation there:

A 16-year-old Quarter Horse stallion residing in Kentucky tested positive for the causal agent of Contagious Equine Metritis (CEM), a bacterium Taylorella equigenitalis, on Dec. 10. CEM is considered a foreign animal disease that occurs in breeding populations in various countries in the world. The test was performed by the University of Kentucky Livestock Disease Diagnostic Center (LDDC) and reported to the Kentucky state veterinarian.

According to officials, two additional stallions on the same farm have now also been confirmed positive. The original stallion has completed treatment, and the additional cases are being prepared for treatment. All horses identified as at risk of exposure are under quarantine and undergoing testing. An update can be found on the Kentucky Department of Agriculture Web site at www.kyagr.com.

Researchers at UK’s Maxwell H. Gluck Equine Research Center and LDDC have been informed and are working closely with state veterinarian Robert Stout and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

According to Gluck researchers, CEM is a sexually transmitted disease that only affects members of the equine family. It does not present an immediate risk of spread to the general horse population as long as state and federal regulations are followed. The disease can only be transmitted by sexual contact and is most frequently spread when a stallion breeds a mare. It may also be transmitted through artificial insemination or contact with contaminated hands or any objects that have been in contact with the genitalia of infected stallions or mares. Stallions are symptom-free carriers of the bacterium Taylorella equigenitalis. Infected mares can develop inflammation of the reproductive tract, which can result in temporary infertility.

Researchers said there are no reports of transmission of infection to pregnant mares except at the time of breeding. Only two confirmed cases of abortion due to this bacterium have been reported in the past 30 years. CEM can be treated effectively with a wide range of disinfectants and antibiotics. Strict hygiene should be observed after contact with horses that test positive for Taylorella equigenitalis. CEM is not known to be transmissible to humans.

Mares imported into Kentucky from CEM affected countries, or mares found to be infected, are required by federal and state regulations to undergo testing and treatment and remain in quarantine until confirmed negative for Taylorella equigenitalis. All stallions imported into Kentucky from a CEM affected country, or stallions found to be infected, are required to be quarantined and to undergo similar testing and treatment until they are determined negative for the causal agent of CEM.

In contrast to other infectious diseases, such as equine herpesvirus neurologic disease, equine influenza or equine viral arteritis, CEM is not spread by close physical contact or via airborne transmission, said Gluck researchers. The horses that have been confirmed carriers were moved to Kentucky from various states prior to the start of the 2008 breeding season. While located in Kentucky, there has been no history of any of these stallions having live covers.

State and federal control measures have been implemented on the affected farm, and there is currently no risk of spread to other horses in Kentucky. An investigation remains ongoing, and while additional horses from the farm may test positive, there is no evidence suggesting that the organism has spread beyond the group of mares and stallions first identified as at risk of exposure.

Horse Health Emergency in Kentucky: "Bring in the Feds!" State Officials Say, As Labs ID Two More CEM-Infected Stallions

Here's an update from Kentucky, where two more stallions have been found to be infected with Contagious Equine Metritis (CEM), an equine venereal disease that does not affect stallions, who are carriers, but can cause abortion and long-term fertility problems in mares.

Via press release on December 18:

Kentucky Agriculture Commissioner Richie Farmer has asked U.S. Agriculture Secretary Ed Schafer to move quickly to declare a state of agricultural emergency and commit federal funds in connection with an outbreak of contagious equine metritis in central Kentucky.

The request is a proactive measure to ensure that sufficient resources are available to manage the disease outbreak, Commissioner Farmer said.

“It is important for the people of Kentucky to understand that this could be a serious situation in our signature equine industry,” Commissioner Farmer said. “The state is working with federal authorities to contain the outbreak and determine its source.”

Kentucky’s horse industry has a total estimated economic impact of approximately $5 billion a year. The horse industry generates an estimated 80,000-100,000 jobs, and another 14,000 jobs come from tourism businesses related to the horse industry. Kentucky farm cash receipts for equine, including stud fees, are estimated at $1 billion annually.

Two more stallions have tested positive for contagious equine metritis, making a total of three from a single central Kentucky farm. The stallions added to the list are a 13-year-old quarter horse and a 4-year-old registered with the American Paint Horse Association. A 16-year-old quarter horse tested positive on Dec. 10, and the National Veterinary Services Laboratories in Ames, Iowa, confirmed the result on Dec. 15. The affected stallions and all exposed horses on the farm have been quarantined.

Testing was performed by the University of Kentucky Livestock Disease Diagnostic Center in Lexington. “The expertise available at LDDC greatly enhances our ability to respond both quickly and effectively to disease outbreaks,” State Veterinarian Robert C. Stout said.

Commissioner Farmer is closely monitoring the investigation and has informed Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear of the progress of the investigation. The Governor has assured Commissioner Farmer that he understands the seriousness of the situation and has pledged to work with the Commissioner to address the matter.

“The state is acting aggressively to contain and mitigate this disease,” Commissioner Farmer said. “Our interstate and international trading partners can be confident that Kentucky will employ all necessary resources to deal with this situation.”

Contagious equine metritis is a transmissible, exotic venereal disease in horses. It usually results in infertility in mares and, on rare occasions, can cause mares to spontaneously abort. Infected stallions exhibit no clinical signs but can carry the CEM bacteria for years. CEM is commonly transmitted during sexual intercourse but also may be transmitted indirectly through artificial insemination or contact with contaminated hands or objects. CEM can be treated with disinfectants and antibiotics.

There is no evidence that CEM affects people

CEM in a Kentucky Stallion; Quarantine Begins

The following press release is from the Commonwealth of Kentucky Department of Agriculture. Anyone working with horses in the state should be aware of this situation as it may affect how the horse business is conducted and might stop horses from being shipped inot and out of the state of Kentucky. With breeding season upon us, this is NEWS....and not good news.

An important point in this article that is not clearly stated in the press release is that stallions generally show no signs of being infected with CEM. The danger is the effect that the disease has on the mares bred to an infected stallion, and the ongoing transmission of the disease.

FRANKFORT, Ky. — State and federal agriculture officials are investigating a case of contagious equine metritis (CEM) in a quarter horse in central Kentucky.

The 16-year-old stallion tested positive for CEM during routine testing on Dec. 10. The test was performed by the University of Kentucky Livestock Disease Diagnostic Center as a preliminary step to shipping frozen semen to the European Union. Samples were sent to the National Veterinary Services Laboratories in Ames, Iowa, which confirmed the diagnosis on Monday.

The index horse and all exposed horses are under quarantine and undergoing testing protocols. The index horse is being treated, and exposed horses have been tested to see if they are infected.

The index horse was moved to Kentucky in February from Texas, where he had been located for his entire breeding career. All breeding was done artificially with no history of natural service.

During the 2008 breeding season, 22 stallions from various states were bred on the farm. Thirteen of the stallions were relocated to other states, and one was relocated to another facility in Kentucky. The index stallion was bred to 44 mares both on the farm and by shipped semen.

Contagious equine metritis is a transmissible, exotic venereal disease in horses. It usually results in infertility in mares and, on rare occasions, can cause mares to spontaneously abort. Infected stallions exhibit no clinical signs but can carry the CEM bacteria for years. CEM is commonly transmitted during sexual intercourse but also may be transmitted indirectly through artificial insemination or contact with contaminated hands or objects.

There is no evidence that CEM affects people.

CEM can be treated with disinfectants and antibiotics. CEM-positive mares and mares from CEM-positive counties in Kentucky are required by state regulations to go through a treatment protocol and remain in quarantine for no less than 21 days. Stallions in Kentucky that have CEM or come from a CEM-positive country also are required to remain quarantined until a treatment protocol is completed and they test negative for the disease.

The first cases of CEM in the United States were diagnosed in central Kentucky in 1978. Another outbreak occurred in Missouri in 1979. The disease was eradicated rapidly in both outbreaks.

TO LEARN MORE: This blog covered CEM in detail in 2007 when stallions at the Spanish Riding School in Vienna, Austria tested positive for CEM. What is missing from the Kentucky press release is where the other horses are who came into contact with this stallion. Finding them will not be easy, but it is certainly important.

The United States has very strict restrictions against the import of horses from CEM-positive countries, and a very complex testing regimen is required to ascertain that a stallion is negative before it can be imported.

Identifying CEM in the USA, a country believed to be free of the disease, could have far-reaching effects, including stopping the export of horses from the US to some other countries, or even the interstate transport of horses into and out of Kentucky on the cusp of the Thoroughbred breeding season.

In the bigger picture, consider this: in the past six weeks, two very serious equine diseases believed to have been eradicated from US soil--piroplasmosis and CEM--have shown up in our horses, bringing us back to square one in prevention and endangering the livelihood of horse owners, trainers, breeders, and competitors. If Americans don't know much about CEM, it is because they weren't around back in 1978 when it stopped the Thoroughbred industry in its tracks. Thirty years later, reading the history of that year--ironically the last year a horse won the Triple Crown--will send a chill down your spine.

Here are some links to past stories:

CEM: Equine Reproductive Nightmare (2007) This blog post describes the disease and why it is taken so seriously.

When Bad Things Happen to Nice Horses: Equine Venereal Disease at Austria's Spanish Riding School (2007)

Good News from Vienna: Spanish Riding School Stables Are Open Again (2007)

USDA Ease of Import Restrictions Against CEM-Infected Countries (June 2008)

USDA Ease on Quarantine is Music to the Ears of Dancing Stallions

Entertainment horses like the white stallions of the Spanish Riding School of Vienna will be able to enjoy a more lenient import process while touring the USA in the future, according to the US Department of Agriculture's new ruling.

Need a good reason for a headache? Try importing a performing stallion troupe into the USA from a CEM-infected country. (CEM stands for Contagious Equine Metritis, an equine venereal disease) The paperwork and quarantine could take longer than the tour!

This has always been a known obstacle to the tours of groups like the horse-circus/opera Cavalia or the regal performances of the centuries-old Spanish Riding School Lipizzaners from Austria. A 2007 outbreak of CEM at the SRS forced cancellation of the 2008 USA tour, which is now being re-scheduled.

The new plans should be easier, thanks to an announcement made today: The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has amended its import rules to allow noncompetitive entertainment horses to be temporarily brought into the U.S. from countries affected with the venereal disease, Contagious Equine Metritis. The final rule, titled Temporary Importation of Horses: Noncompetitive Entertainment Horses From Countries Affected with Contagious Equine Metritis, is effective July 7, 2008.

Noncompetitive entertainment horses are those that participate in performances or exhibitions and are not entered into competitions, such as races or shows. Examples of such horses include circus horses, the Spanish Riding School's Lippizans of Austria and the Lusitano and Andalusian performance stallions in Cavalia.

The final rules allow these non-competitive entertainment horses to enter the U.S. without having to be test bred under a special permit that is longer than the 90 day permit for competitive horses. The new rules impose additional requirements for the importation of these horses, including additional information that must be provided to apply for a permit and the plans and itineraries for housing, transit and performances while in the U.S. The permits, if approved, will last for one year, and the importer can apply to renew the permit.

The rules require that these noncompetitive entertainment horses be imported and maintained in the U.S. though a trust fund agreement executed by the horse’s owner or importer. This would ensure that the government is reimbursed for the services it provides, such as administrative costs and costs for a USDA representative to monitor the horses. The agreement is also intended to ensure that the importer will be able to fully uphold the requirements specified for these horses over extended periods of time.

Thanks to the American Horse Council for this update.

When Bad Things Happen to Nice Horses: Equine Venereal Disease at Austria's Spanish Riding School

UPDATED 16 APRIL 2007

This post will prove that no one in the horse industry is immune to the spread of disease and its effect on horses.

Only about 3000 Lipizzaners are alive on Earth today, and the largest group is maintained by the Spanish Riding School (SRS) of Vienna, with a total of just over 400 horses. The SRS operates a stable in Vienna for performing stallions (a.k.a. "The Dancing White Stallions") and a glorious stud farm at Piber in the province of Styria in Lower Austria. This year, there may be fewer foals at Piber than in any year in a long time and the daily routine at the stables in Vienna has been upset.

The SRS has publicly announced that a stallion at Piber was found to be positive for the equine venereal disease known as contagious equine metritis (CEM). Once this horse's infection was discovered, the entire herd was tested, and then the stallions in Vienna were tested as well. Over 100 horses owned by the SRS are believed to be CEM positive.

(To learn more about CEM, please scroll down to the post following this one, or visit the University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine's excellent CEM information page. Please note: CEM is not fatal, and it is curable, although temporary infertility in mares is a side effect, and that will probably affect the 2008 foal crop.)

Information provided by the Spanish Riding School includes the following:

"In the course of a routine examination this virus was detected in a horse from the Federal Stud Piber, even though this horse had never been used for breeding. Therefore there is obviously another way that this disease can be transferred other than the covering of a mare. Thereupon the horse population in Piber and Vienna was examined. In the course of this examination the virus was detected in both enterprises.

"To this date not a single horse in the Spanish Riding School or the Federal Stud Piber has shown visible signs of this contagious disease. Quite on the contrary, the fertility rate in the Federal Stud Piber is currently at 90% and thereby clearly higher than the international average.

"As the diagnostic process is very long and complicated and the verification only possible in a multilevel procedure extending over a number of weeks, the detection and the treatment of this disease is difficult. In Austria only stallions intended for breeding are routinely examined as this examination is very complex.

"In principle this disease can be treated and is curable. However, the fight against this virus is complex and long. Successful medical rehabilitation is known from various European, American and Canadian studs. Based on these experiences the therapy has been started and a catalogue of measures has been developed to rehabilitate the horse population over the summer months.

"Nothing has changed with regard to the performances of the Spanish Riding School in Vienna as the stallions are not physically affected by the virus. This means that the classic performances, the daily morning training and the Privatissimum will continue as normal.

"Guided tours through the stables in Vienna will be limited and no contact to the horses will be permitted. (At Piber) horses identified as virus carriers are stabled in the veterinary ward which is not open to the public.

"The scheduled performance of a four-in-hand from the Federal Stud Piber and a School Stallion from the Spanish Riding School in Vienna in the course of 'Pferd International' in Munich in May this year has been cancelled.

"The total cost of the treatment for the horses concerned, the loss of business through the limitation in guided tours, various hygienic measures and increased staff costs will amount to several hundred thousand Euros."

(end quote from SRS statement)

Today I interviewed Gary Lashinsky of White Stallion Productions; Gary is the producer of the upcoming 2008 Spanish Riding School tour of western United States cities. "This will be cleared up in a few months," he stressed. "This outbreak will not affect the upcoming US tour." Gary noted that he has been assured that the SRS is taking every precaution to eradicate CEM from the herd in Piber and from the performing stallions in Vienna. Horses from Piber are routinely sold to American buyers.

The Spanish Riding School has survived Napoleon, Hitler, bombing attacks, EHV, politics, privatization, world tours, and everything else that has been thrown at it in the past 400 years. They may have a gene puddle instead of a pool, but they are survivors. These are not the first Lipizzaners to contract CEM and probably they won't be the last.

But in this Internet age, there is no below-the-radar way to go about treating a herd for a contagious disease. I hope more entities and governments will follow the SRS's lead and make public statements about their problems. Observing the SRS example may make it easier for horse owners at all levels to be honest about their horses' health issues and help control the spread of equine disease sooner instead of later.

The cost of this disease control program, coupled with the financial loss of performances and tours, is estimated to be several hundred thousand US dollars. Disease outbreaks usually are not a line item in a business plan, and the Spanish Riding School has only recently been launched as a private corporation.

We don't have Barbaro to cheer on anymore, so let's cheer on the Lipizzaners to recover and get back to the capriole, the levade, and the courbette--back in the "good news" spotlight, where they belong.

(Originally posted 11 April 2007)

16 April Update: The Spanish Riding School has issued a document explaining all details of the CEM infection and their plan to treat the horses in the weeks to come. They have announced that the original discovery of the infection was found in a stallion that was exported to the USA in November 2006. The SRS contends that the horse tested negative before export, but his subsequent test in the US was positive.

Here's a link to the official English-language version of the document from the SRS: http://www.srs.at/index.php?id=320&action=detail&iid=116