February 18th, 2021

Equine Herpesvirus Myeloencephalopathy (EHV-1)

There has recently been an outbreak in Quebec and now Ontario of EHV-1, which is a highly contagious and fatal disease transmissible by horse to horse contact as well as human to horse contact. Click here to see entire fact sheet on EHV-1.

Until this disease has stopped it's course, we require all persons visiting our facilities to adhere to the following policies:

• If you are visiting any other facility with horses do not wear the same boots or clothing onto Hope Haven property, keep your gear completely separate and continuoulsy cleaned and disinfected.
• If you are at a facility where a horse is sick, especially of unknown cause, do not come to Hope Haven until our staff clears you to do so.
• Avoid nose to nose contact with horses who are not pastured together.
• Grooming equipment must be sanitized after each use with a single horse (ie. volunteer grooming buckets).
• When on Hope Haven property please only handle or touch horses you are directly working with for lesson purposes to limit cross-contamination.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding this outbreak, please don't hesitate to call our office.