An article in today’s South Florida Sun-Sentinel by Stephanie Horvath includes quotes from several veterinary practices in the Wellington, Florida area. In the article, the vets reflect on the fear and grief that ran through the horse community there as, on the eve of the 2007 winter show season, an outbreak of highly-contagious Equine Herpes virus shut down the trails and forced barns into quarantine situations.

So far, so good in Wellington this year, as the horse vans stream southward and the cargo jets unload box-stall crates holding some of Europe’s finest jumpers and dressage horses.

Vaccination regulations may have been upgraded on the showgrounds, caretakers may be less complacent about runny noses…but if you are around horses, no matter where you live, you still need to wash your hands and clothes often, keep buckets and tack separate and labeled for each horse, disinfect stalls and talk to vets about how information about possible disease outbreaks will be announced and shared in your community.