The Oregon Department of Agriculture is taking precautions after an outbreak of a serious strain of Equine Herpes at barrel racing and rodeo events in Texas and Oklahoma.

Officials say seven Oregon animals were exposed and have been quarantined, but show no signs of infection.

State Veterinarian Ryan Scholz says most horses are carrying Equine Herpes, but sometimes more serious strains can circulate.

“It causes a fever, it causes sniffles, it causes coughing, those types of respiratory symptoms,” Scholz said. “But every once in a while there are strains that will develop a mutation that attack the central nervous symptom, and that’s what we’re seeing here.”

That disease is known as EHM or Equine herpesvirus myeloencephalopathy. Infections have been detected in the state before , bu

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