OCALA, Florida – March 7, 2021 – World Equestrian Center – Ocala management was made aware in the late evening of Saturday, March 6 that a horse in Barn D was presenting with a high fever. The team proactively had the horse removed from the grounds and sent to the University of Florida for testing, isolation and observation.
The WEC management team, our on site veterinarians and the State of Florida have been communicating together and Barn D has been placed under quarantine pending the results of the horse’s test.
WEC management has installed a perimeter fence around Barn D, and biosecurity measures such as hand and foot sanitation, have been installed and will be enforced by the WEC Security team.
At this time, horse showing will continue as scheduled. We ask that every barn continue to take the situation seriously and enforce biosecurity measures within their own stable.
- Take temperatures of all horses twice daily and maintain a log. Horses should have temperatures taken twice daily. Horses presenting with a temperature of more than 101.5 degrees F or any signs of respiratory or neurological disease should be reported to the show veterinarian and WEC management.
- Isolate any horse exhibiting symptoms or illness and report any cases to the show veterinarian and horse show management. Horses with symptoms will be moved to an on-site isolation area.
- We recommend no sharing of equipment between horses including feed and water buckets.
- Handlers should wash hands in between handling horses and maintain proper biosecurity protocols in the barn and at the rings.
- Maintain distancing between horses at the ring and in the barn and at the rings. No nose-to-nose contact between horses.
If you have questions please contact horse show manager TJ Campbell tj.campbell@wec.net, director of operations Vinnie Card vinnie.card@wec.net or on site veterinarian, Dr. Larry Wexler DVM lwexlerdvm@gmail.com.