Coronavirus spread forces cancellation of equine events across the country

By Corrine Borton on March 17, 2020

With the news surrounding the spread of the coronavirus rapidly changing across the United States and the globe, organizers of horse shows and related events are listening closely and making decisions to safeguard its participants and comply with state and federal mandates.

Just today, President Donald Trump’s coronavirus task force issued new guidelines warning Americans to limit social gatherings to 10 or fewer people and urging restaurants, bars and other public venues to close in states where community transmission of the virus exists. Some states, including New York, New Jersey and Connecticut issued curfews although Trump said a nationwide curfew was not under consideration at this point.

The Spring Breakout in Lexington has been canceled.

Many breed associations – including the American Quarter Horse Association and Palomino Horse Breeders of America – have already canceled annual conventions and show managers are announcing the cancellation or postponement of events across the United States.

The following is a list of events that have already been canceled. We will update this list as information becomes available and we encourage managers to notify us of additional cancellations as they become known so that we can continue to inform our readers. Email information to Corrineborton@instrideedition.com and we will add it to the list.

  • The AQHA Level 1 Championship Shows (East, April 29 to May 3, Wilmington, Ohio; Central, April 8-11, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; West, April 15-19, Las Vegas, Nevada) have been canceled.
  • • The American Paint Horse Association announced that there is currently no plan to cancel the APHA Youth World Show, the Open & Amateur World Show, and the Eastern and Western National Championship Shows, and if circumstances change, wide-ranging announcements would be made. However, the association has eliminated qualifying for the 2020 Open & Amateur World Show. Regarding APHA-approved shows, each show manager will make their own decisions about the cancelation of events.
  • Spring Breakout AQHA Show, March 26-29, Lexington, Virginia, canceled. Organizers announced that the futurity classes that were planned for the Spring Breakout Show (including the Virginia Maiden, Limited Horse and Limited Rider divisions, a full day will be devoted to NSBA-approved classes (2-year-old, 3-year-old and maturity events for Open and Non-Pro Western Pleasure and Hunter Under Saddle) will now be held at the Virginia National Stock Horse Show, June 4-7, in Lexington. The all-breed show features AQHA, APHA, PHBA, ApHC and ABRA classes.
  •  Martinganza Quarter Horse Show Circuit, April 2-5, Wilmington, North Carolina, canceled.
  • University of Findlay Spring Horse Sale, April 25, Findlay, Ohio, has been canceled.
  • NSBA Foundation Coaches Summit, March 30 to April 1, Dallas, Texas, canceled and will not be rescheduled in 2020.
  • International Equestrian Federation (FEI) and US Equestrian Federation 2020 FEI Cup Finals, April 15-19, Las Vegas, Nevada, Canceled
  • National Collegiate Equestrian Association National Championship Show, April 15-18, Waco, Texas, canceled.
  • The Equine Affaire, April 2-5, Columbus, Ohio, canceled.
  • Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA) has canceled all shows, including Zones, Western Semi Finals and Nationals, for the 2020 season.
Equine Affaire in Ohio has been canceled.
  • AQHA National Convention, March 13-16, Las Vegas, Nevada, canceled.
  • American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame & Museum, Amarillo, Texas, has been closed until April 1.
  • PHBA Convention, March 18-21, Springfield, Illinois, canceled.
  • Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, March 2-21, Houston, Texas, canceled.
  • The Kentucky Derby, traditionally held the first Saturday in May in Lexington, has been postponed until September.
  • An Equine Production event management company has canceled all remaining March shows and some events in April, including the Aggie Super Circuit, March 19-22, College Station, Texas; Maple Leaf Circuit, March 28-31, St. Louis, Missouri; Gordyville Spring Show, March 19-21 and March 23-26, Springfield, Illinois. The Georgia On My Mind Circuit, April 3-12, Conyers, Georgia, has been canceled. No decision has been made yet on additional April shows.
  • Premier Sires Missouri Show, April 23-26, National Equestrian Center, Lake St. Louis, Missouri, canceled.
  • The ABRA Western States Spring Series, April 2-5, Spokane, Washington, has been canceled.
  • The HABHA Colorama, March 21-22, Carthage, Missouri, has been canceled.

The following is a list of other announcements from show managers, event organizers and breeding farms:

World Equestrian Center in Wilmington, Ohio has suspended events.

• The World Equestrian Center, Wilmington, Ohio, has suspended all events for 30 days.

The DREAM Park in Gloucester County, New Jersey has suspended public access until further notice.

• The Empire State Quarter Horse Association announced today that association is currently planning to go ahead with plans for its shows – the Spring Into Summer, May 21-31, Syracuse, New York; The Heat Is On, Jun3 26-28, Hamburg, New York; The Sizzler, July 22-26, Horseheads, New York; and The Fall Show, Sept. 16-20, Syracuse, New York. Officials there are monitoring the coronavirus developments and will keep members posted if anything changes.

• North Farm, located in North Lawrence, Ohio, announced that it is suspending counter-to-counter shipments for its stallions – The Best Martini, Makin Me Willy Wild and Radical Signs Are Good. Counter-to-counter is same-day delivery and this does not impact next-day delivery. “Delta is canceling 40% of their flights and the chance of shipments getting through via the airlines is looking worrisome,” North Farm announced on its social media platforms. “Fedex is still up and running and we are going to offer off day shipments on availability of semen. Our regular collection days are Monday, Wednesday and Friday.”

The following is a list of responsible sources for up to date information on the coronavirus 

Government sites

Federal Government:

State and Local Government:

Texas Medical Center Institutions

Scholarly Sites

• Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center – https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/map.html?fbclid=IwAR2Su6BzlffYkwaqWhaTCsJ2UQR8EPez5CBgpoJZHMG175i5xoPmCJOpEOI

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