MADISON, Wis.—  The Midwest Horse Fair kicked off Friday at the Alliance Energy Center in Madison, even as officials with the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) are warning of an equine virus outbreak in six Wisconsin counties.

Lynn Beres and her team with the Wisconsin Walking Horse Association have been coming to the fair since its beginnings in 1979. Beres said she loves the interactions with both horses and people.

“I love meeting the people I love, and I love seeing all the extra horses that come,” she said. “Everybody has their favorite breed; everybody's horse is the best.”

This year though, things look different, as concern over an outbreak of equine herpes myeloencephalopathy (EHM). It’s highly contagious among horses and can cause respiratory issues, neurological disease and even death.

It was a source of concern for Ellie Jensen, one of the owners of Twin Artesian Stables in Suamico.

“People can transmit it in and not even know that they were,” she said.

Jensen and many others took precautions at the event, like plexiglass barriers over the stalls, panels to prevent horses from touching each other and signs warning people not to pet them.

“It is really important to me to take precautions,” Jensen said. “I wouldn't have come unless my husband put up the plexiglass, so people don't come in and touch him and then spread it to other horses or pet other horses and maybe spread it to him.”

While this might mean people can’t get up close and personal with the horses this year, Beres said she doesn’t think that will take away from the experience.

“They still can see the horses,” she said. “So, do you necessarily need to touch it? No, you can still see them do their demos, you can still see them around the grounds.”

In a statement, the Midwest Horse Fair said:

We want to let you know that the Midwest Horse Fair (MHF) Animal Health Coordinator and Country View Equine Clinic, the official veterinarians of MHF, are working closely with WI Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) to keep our horse participants safe. 

MHF will be instituting extra biosecurity measures as part of this effort including:

• When arriving at the MHF check-in all horse participants will be asked to fill out a horse health questionnaire
• All horse participants will also be given a thermometer and temperature chart and will be required to take their horses temperature in the morning and again in the afternoon, recording the temperatures on the chart
• If any horse develops a fever of 101.8º F or higher, riders should contact the onsite veterinarians immediately.  MHF staff will check periodically throughout the fair to ensure compliance
• Noncompliance will result in being required to leave the fair with the horse
• The Alliant Energy Center will be sanitizing the stalls and arenas prior to the arrival of the horses to the Midwest Horse Fair
• Posters and signs will be placed around the MHF to remind participants and guests to limit their physical contact with horses to help protect the health of all horses attending MHF
• Officials from State of WI DATCP will be onsite starting Thursday of fair week
• Additional hand sanitizer stations for attendees in the barns
• We also ask that you practice good biosecurity procedures to prevent cross-contamination, for example do not share buckets, picks or other supplies with other exhibitors. Here is a link for additional Information on EHV-1 EHV-1 & EHM | School of Veterinary Medicine (ucdavis.edu)

For more information about the Midwest Horse Fair, click here.