Tim Keeling talks to Julie Sheer before she rides her horse Flash. A quarantine at the Los Angeles Equestrian Center could put the Rose Parade's EquestFest at risk. The state is preventing horses from coming or going to the center until test results come back from one potentially sick horse. Equestfest is scheduled for the end of the month. Burbank, CA. (Photo by John McCoy/SCNG)

Julie Sheer rides her horse Flash. A quarantine at the Los Angeles Equestrian Center could put the Rose Parade's EquestFest at risk. The state is preventing horses from coming or going to the center until test results come back from one potentially sick horse. Equestfest is scheduled for the end of the month. Burbank, CA 12/8/2016. Photo by John McCoy/Los Angeles Daily News (SCNG)

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This warning is seen at the entrance. A quarantine at the Los Angeles Equestrian Center could put the Rose Parade's EquestFest at risk. The state is preventing horses from coming or going to the center until test results come back from one potentially sick horse. Equestfest is scheduled for the end of the month. Burbank, CA 12/8/2016. Photo by John McCoy/Los Angeles Daily News (SCNG)



The state is preventing horses from coming or going to the Los Angeles Equestrian center until test results come back from one potentially sick horse. (Photo by John McCoy/Los Angeles Daily News)

Posted on a fence along an arena. A quarantine at the Los Angeles Equestrian Center could put the Rose Parade's EquestFest at risk. The state is preventing horses from coming or going to the center until test results come back from one potentially sick horse. Equestfest is scheduled for the end of the month. Burbank, CA 12/8/2016. Photo by John McCoy/Los Angeles Daily News (SCNG)

The Pasadena Tournament of Roses has cancelled its annual horse show, EquestFest, due to an outbreak of Equine Herpes virus in Los Angeles County.

Last month, the California Department of Food and Agriculture quarantined the Los Angeles Equestrian Center in Burbank, the venue for EquestFest every year on Dec. 30. Veterinarians identified 13 cases of Equine Herpes Virus (EHV-1), an infection that causes respiratory disease, neonatal foal death and neurological disease. None were found to be a more serious strain that affects the nervous tissue, but one horse remains under quarantine, keeping any other horses from entering or leaving the facility, according to the state.

“We are working as an agency, with our veterinarians, to lift the quarantine as quickly as possible,” said Steve Lyle, a spokesman for the agency. If the final horse comes back with negative test results, the agency will lift the quarantine, but TofR will not reinstate the event even if that occurs before Dec. 30.

“We are committed to ensuring the safety of all of our participants, including our equestrians participants and their animals,” said Craig Washington, the chair of TofR’s Equestrian Committee. “Not only are we cancelling our EquestFest, we will, in our staging area, be very mindful of measures to secure the safety of any participants coming in.”

It’s the first time the showcase of the Rose Parade’s equestrian participants has been cancelled in the last 17 years, according to Washington. The cancellation of EquestFest is not expected to stop any equestrians unit from participating in the Rose Parade. The Tournament is currently identifying alternative boarding venues in light of the quarantine.

After learning about the quarantine, the Tournament was unable to find a venue that would “accommodate the type of event we would like to put on,” Washington said. “We plan our events literally annually, all year resources and commitments have been in place.”

Tournament of Roses plans to follow state protocols for preventing infections during the Rose Parade by limiting contact between horses and ensuring equipment and water are not shared at the staging grounds.

All participants will be asked to ensure their horses are properly vaccinated and healthy before coming to Pasadena, Washington added.

Tickets purchased through Sharp Seating for EquestFest will be fully refunded, with no action needed by the ticket holders, according to the Tournament of Rose’s website.


Washington said the quarantine was an unfortunate and unexpected event, but EquestFest will return the following year.