April 19, 2026
The Virginia Horse Center at Lexington is restricting entries in the Spring Premiere and Encore horse shows over the next two weeks to deal with a confirmed case of equine herpes virus at Culpepper in the same state.
“Effective immediately, any horses that were on the grounds at HITS Culpeper during the week of April 12–19, 2026, will not be permitted to enter the Virginia Horse Center,” according to a statement by the Lexington facility, about 100 miles/160km apart.
“This includes any horses that left the show early, as well as horses that may have been exposed through contact and share farms with horses that attended.”
To protect horses entering the Lexington grounds, it said, requirements to be strictly enforced include:
–Signed and dated health certificate or veterinary statement on letterhead, along with a temperature log beginning April 19, 2026;
–Twice-daily temperature monitoring (to continue throughout the duration of the event);
–Current negative Coggins (EIA) test, and;
–Vaccination records in accordance with VHC guidelines.
Management reserves the right to require a veterinary exam for any horse on the grounds, if necessary, it said.
All trucks and trailers should be cleaned and disinfected at a designated clean out area before parking.
Enhanced biosecurity measures include disinfecting all stalls prior to horse arrivals, availability of additional disinfectant products throughout the grounds; signs outlining recommended biosecurity practices, encouraging reduced nose-to-nose contact between horses and requesting riders and handlers use discretion in warm-up areas.
