Tag: Equine Herpesvirus EHV-1

The Fort Worth Stockyards’ daily cattle drive resumed Friday after a pause due to an outbreak of the deadly EVH-1 virus that began in Texas.

Equestrian events in North Texas and beyond have been canceled, postponed or changed to control the spread of Equine Herpesvirus Type 1.

“Our equine veterinary advisers agree with this decision because of the precautions our team has taken and the safety protocols we have in place,” said Alex Catterton, a spokesperson for Visit Fort Worth.

The virus was detected after rodeo events in Waco earlier in November. According to Bud Dinges, the Texas Agriculture Health Commission executive director and state veterinarian, the events in Waco had 670 contestants from 31 states, including 497 from Texas.

Confirmed cases of EHV-1 in the U.S. have increased to 42 since the first reported infection on Nov. 19. Of those, 19 cases are from Texas and at least two horses have died.

Initially, the Fort Worth Stockyards’ twice daily cattle drive was paused out of caution after the Texas Animal Health Commission and The Texas Department of Agriculture called on horsemen to monitor their herds and take biohazard precautions.

The cattle drive is a top tourist attraction and can be watched from the Livestock Exchange building or East Exchange Avenue at the Stockyards.

The Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association rodeo changed to a bull riding event with the help of the Professional Bull Riders.

The PRCA and Women’s Professional Rodeo Association announced Wednesday that the National Finals Breakaway Roping event that was supposed to take place Dec. 2-3 in Las Vegas was going to instead be held in Fort Worth on Dec. 22-23 at the Cowtown Coliseum.

“The PRCA, WPRA and Cowtown Coliseum are continuing to monitor the EHV/EHM outbreak and are taking measures designed to protect the wellbeing of all participating horses, while upholding the highest standards of biosecurity and animal care to be able to safely host the event, WPRA said in a statement on its website. “Per Cowtown Coliseum, if the EHV/EHM outbreak is not contained according to state and local animal welfare, then the event will not be held.”

Tim Long, general manager of Cowtown Coliseum, told the Star-Telegram last week that most people don’t understand how integral horses are to the “Western way of life.”

“Everything we do involves the horse,” Long said. “The rodeo that we hold, there’s 10 events, and all 10 events require a horse to hold those events. And it goes much, much deeper than that. You go out to the farms and the ranches that still exist, that’s the only way to that they use to herd cattle and to work their animals and livestock.”

During an Equine Disease Communication Center webinar briefing held Tuesday, officials said the path forward is to continue biohazard controls, like disinfection, isolating, repeated checking for fevers and other symptoms in herds until the outbreak ends.

This story was originally published November 28, 2025 at 3:31 PM.