KY HBPA News: Saratoga Barn Under Strangles Quarantine

From Rusty Ford, equine operations consultant, KY Dept. Agriculture:

Saratoga’s Barn 85 Quarantined Due to Strangles

I am taking this opportunity to share information with our horsemen regarding a Saratoga Barn being placed under quarantine. The quarantine was put in place earlier this morning following a horse that had been referred to a local veterinary hospital for breathing issues testing positive for strangles by PCR. This morning, I spoke with NYRA as well as NY State veterinary officials. The information shared with us confirms that a barn has been placed under quarantine for strangles.

I have included below this message information that has been made available by the New York Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association.

We appreciate the precautions put in place and work done thus far by NYRA and Department of Agriculture. At this point-in-time, with the daily monitoring in place, we are satisfied that the precautions being taken are appropriate and beneficial. I am asking that our Kentucky horsemen shipping to/from Saratoga be mindful of the quarantine being in place at Saratoga and ensure their staff are aware of the event and take the needed biosecurity precautions. Additionally our horsemen need to understand and accept that this is a developing disease event, and our strategies to protect our racing populations here in Kentucky can change without advance notice.

We will continue to monitor the disease event, have open lines of communication with New York officials, and are prepared to implement additional disease mitigating strategies if it becomes needed.

I will continue to have open lines of communication and will provide any needed updates or new information as it is learned.

Rusty

E.S. Rusty Ford

Rusty.ford@ky.gov

Equine Operations Consultant

Office State Veterinarian

KY Department Agriculture

502/782-5924 ‌    ͏     ͏ ‌    ͏ ‌