More than 40 EHV cases have been confirmed in Texas and beyond, stemming from a Waco event in early November. Here’s the latest.
SAN ANTONIO — The San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo is still over two months away, but officials with the popular annual event are making some procedural tweaks amid the ongoing spread of a dangerous horse virus in Texas.
An outbreak of equine herpesvirus – or EHV-1 – that officials have traced back to a Waco rodeo event in early November forced San Antonio Rodeo officials to cancel an annual Uvalde qualifier event last month. Rodeo qualifiers for four events that were able to see competitors saddle up (bull riding, bareback, saddle bronc riding and team roping), but others never made it to the dirt out of precaution on the part of rodeo staff.
“The safety and well-being of our animal athletes is our top priority, and the recent EHV-1 announcement from other events has led us to cancel the rodeo qualifier,” the San Antonio Rodeo announced in a Facebook post.
Still, competitors for the 2026 rodeo at the Freeman Coliseum and Frost Bank Center grounds must still be determined. And on Monday, the rodeo said in another social media post that the 10 qualifiers for tie-down roping, steer wrestling, breakaway roping and barrel racing will consist of those with the most dollars earned in competition this year.
Rodeo staff say that’s how the qualifiers were determined before the Uvalde qualifier, which started in 2023, adding that the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association and Women’s Pro Rodeo Association weighed in on the decision.
As for the San Antonio Rodeo itself, which begins Feb. 12, officials said earlier this month they were monitoring the situation and “praying that it is contained” sooner rather than later.
About EHV
The Texas Department of Agriculture last month began warning horse owners and rodeo officials about the outbreak of EHV, a potentially deadly horse virus that can cause breathing issues and neurological problems.
The number of confirmed Texas cases linked to the outbreak stands at 23, according to the Equine Disease Communications Center, a North American organization tracking the outbreak; that’s up from 15 on Nov. 25.
An additional twenty-three cases have been confirmed in other states, including Oklahoma, Louisiana and New Mexico. Horse owners are being urged to isolate their horses if they recently returned from travel, as well as to monitor their temperature and behavior.
Experts say 60% to 70% of horses who contract the virus during an outbreak are able to recover, but “veterinary evaluation and isolation of exposed or affected horses is crucial.”
These are the symptoms owners should watch out for:
- Fever
- Swelling of the horse’s limbs
- Hind limb weakness
- Urine dribbling
- Late-term abortion
- In more severe cases, seizures and inability to stand