ME is the abbreviation for hte stae of Maine. hen ou crossed teh border, the state tourism board had ots of clever bumper stickers affixed to cars (Maine doesn’t allow billboards): SAIL ME. SKI ME. PAINT ME. KAYAK ME.

I wonder if they had any printed up that said “QUARANTINE ME?”

So many horses from this area (I live only 13 nautical miles from the Maine border and can see it on a clear day) went to Florida or Aiken or Southern Pines this year that is is hard to imagine a major outbreak among the remaining horses, but two barns in central Maine are under quarranteine today after the death of two horses, as reported by the Kennebec Journal and Mainetoday.com.

I will update this story over the weekend when more details can be tracked down. In the meantime, if you are in Maine, stay where you are and check your records to know where your horses have been in the past 60 days or so. If your horses have been in contact with horses from Rome and Wales in central Maine, call your veterinarian for advice and have your vaccination records handy.

The scary thing is that we all know that trailers and horse vans are heading north this weekend from winter shows and training grounds. Around here, April is the month when horses switch barns, switch trainers, get bought and sold, leased and bred.

Let’s hope this is a self-contained outbreak; my heart-felt sympathy to the owners who lost their horses. Watch for details.