The Utah Quarter Horse Racing Association (UQHRA) has postponed the Beehive Futurity Finals and other nine other races originally scheduled for Saturday, May 21st, to prevent possible spread of the Equine Herpes Virus (EHV-1) in the Southwest U.S. The event was on the books at Laurel Brown Racetrack in South Jordan, Utah.
Earlier in May, multiple horses were diagnosed with the highly contagious and often fatal EHV-1 after attending the National Cutting Horse Association (NCHA) Western National Championships in Ogden, Utah. Veterinary quarantines have been enacted, and several equestrian events have been cancelled, particularly in the American West.
“The fact that people can just haul in and out of there makes it tough,” explained the UQHRA’s Dustin Hall. “There were trainers with concerns of bringing their horses to the equestrian park and taking the chance of picking something up and hauling it back to their farms.”
The American Quarter Horse Association is offering online information about EHV-1 for horse owners and equestrian facility managers.
The Beehive Futurity Stakes and other May 21st races are likely to be postponed one week. The rescheduling may affect the balance of the season at Laurel Brown Racetrack.
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