Thousands of horse lovers packed the annual Maryland Horse World Exposition in Timonium yesterday, where they admired well-bred Appaloosas and shopped for saddles - and talked about preventing the spread of a virus that has sickened horses at Pimlico Race Course.
The equine herpes virus 1 disease that is believed to have infected 11 horses at Pimlico - leading the Maryland Jockey Club to place a quarantine on the track - was not seen as a threat to the more than 100 animals being shown at the Maryland State Fairgrounds.
That's because the exposition did not include any racehorses that might have had contact with infected Pimlico animals, veterinarians and horse owners said.
"In my opinion, the disease is not going to spread from Pimlico to here," said William P. Higgins, a veterinarian and director of a state animal health lab in Centreville, who gave a seminar on horse diseases yesterday.
"It doesn't spread over great distances in the air, and the vaccines available for it are often effective."
In a convention hall filled with booths, Higgins told an audience of about 50 horse owners that they should vaccinate their animals for the herpes virus at least three times a year if they go to a lot of horse shows.
The virus can live on clothes or truck tires for about three days, so people who have contact with infected animals should avoid spreading it to other stables, Higgins said.
Almost all of the owners of horses at the convention yesterday said they routinely have their animals vaccinated for the equine herpes virus.
Debbie Miller, a horse trainer from Jarrettsville who visited the exposition yesterday, showed a buckskin-colored Appaloosa named Skippa Starbuck. She said she' s been thinking about the virus since hearing about it at Pimlico earlier this month.
"You always worry about it. And you have to make sure your horse doesn't nuzzle with any other horses," Miller said. "I don't let my horse drink from the water buckets of other horses."
Nearby, as part of a horse exhibition, four Paso Finos trotted around the edges of a sandy arena as about 300 people watched from bleachers. Booths bustled with customers buying boots, riding coats, "waterproof, windproof, ultra-breathable" horse blankets, turquoise jewelry, horse trailers , sweatshirts, pizza and lemonade.
Denise Parsons, president of Equestrian Promotions Inc., which put on the exposition, said the horses at the event yesterday are removed from the racing industry and so are not likely to have much contact with the infected Pimlico horses.
The more than 100 horses at the event were from Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, Pennsylvania and Delaware.
"I didn't have a single person express a single fear or worry about bringing their horses here today," Parsons said. "Any kind of contagious disease is always a concern, but, in this case, I think the threat is minimal to these animals."
Judi Ludwic, a retired lawyer from Upper Marlboro, was outside the exposition building in a barn with her horse May Day, a 4-year-old, chocolate-colored male of the Rocky Mountain breed.
"I've had my horse vaccinated against everything," Ludwic said. "And I keep him mostly isolated. I'm not that worried about the virus."
tom.pelton@baltsun.com
