The Colorado Department of Agriculture has released the quarantine placed on a Douglas County premises after a case of equine herpesvirus (EHV-1) was confirmed at the location in May.

"We are pleased with the release of the quarantine; the department responded quickly to control this disease," said State Veterinarian Keith Roehr, DVM. "The fact that there was only one confirmed case shows that the cooperative efforts of the premises and Colorado’s vigilant horse owners are a vital part of disease mitigation."

The affected horse was imported by a private owner from Iowa, through a transport company and was euthanized after showing severe neurologic signs associated with EHV-1. Three facilities received horses from the same transport vehicle, and all horses at those facilities remain free of EHV-1 clinical signs.

"While there was limited spread of this disease, it could have been much worse," Roehr said. "We encourage horse owners and event managers to always observe basic biosecurity practices such as limiting horse-to-horse contact, separating feeding, watering, and tack supplies, and eliminating shared water sources at events to minimize transmission of all infectious diseases