Acting on guidance from the U.S. Equestrian Federation and the Virginia State Veterinarian regarding horses that competed at HITS Culpeper this month, the Virginia Horse Center Foundation Board of Directors and Hunter Jumper Committee decided to cancel their facility’s Lexington Spring Premiere Horse Show.
The panels cited “horse welfare as our top priority—and an abundance of caution guiding every decision. We remain steadfast in prioritizing horses’ safety above all else.
A horse that competed at the Culpeper, Va., show was euthanized after contracting the neurological form of EHV-1. Originally, VHC wanted to ban all horses that competed at Culpeper, but USEF said that was against the rules. So VHC took the cancellation action instead.
Meanwhile, the Lexington Spring Encore Horse Show will be held at VHC in Lexington, Va., as planned with enhanced, industry-leading biosecurity protocols. In partnership with Merck Animal Health, VHC is implementing additional preventative measures designed to support horse health and give exhibitors confidence as we return to competition.
VHC stated, “We look forward to welcoming the community back next week.”