In response to a recent outbreak of equine herpes, a deadly virus affecting horses, Santa Mara Elks Rodeo officials will enforce strict rules and regulations at its annual event beginning June 2.
According to a contingency plan provided to the Sun by event coordinator Seth Doulton, rodeo officials will:
• put together an animal welfare committee of four to five people responsible for monitoring all horses at the event center.
• require all horses except “Flying U” horses to go through Gate 2 and be signed in 24 hours a day. Gate 2 is on lock down from midnight to 6 a.m. All owners of horses entering the grounds will be required to sign a warning waiver tracking their horse’s whereabouts on May 1.
• not allow community watering troughs, nor contact between Flying U horses and contestant horses.
Horse owners are encouraged to contact the California Department of Food and Agriculture (cdfa.ca.gov) or the Professional Cowboys Association (prorodeo.com) for more information on the outbreak.
This article appears in Jun 2-9, 2011.