Vaccines the best way to protect vs EEE

RICHLAND, Mich. (WOOD) - About 450 horses from across the country will compete this weekend at Richland Park's Horse Trials, in one of the biggest horse events in North America.

Several shots, including ones to prevent against West Nile, rabies and Eastern Equine Encephalitis, help keep the horses healthy.

But some of their distant cousins, which roam the fields of southwest Michigan, have not been as fortunate.

There have been 26 cases of horses infected with Eastern Equine Encephalitis, or EEE, this year -- including 12 cases in Barry County, five in Calhoun County, four in Cass County and one in Kalamazoo County.

Another 61 cases are suspected, but not confirmed. Most cases are deadly for the horses.

And humans are not immune. Two Kalamazoo men and a Barry County woman have been treated for the infection.

But the fear is not keeping competitors from this year's trials.

"This is the (event) that gets marked off the calender first," said horse owner Ian Roberts said, who makes the trip in from Ontario. "We work around the other stuff."

EEE isn't as much a concern for these horses.

"When I saw that was an issue here, I spoke to my vet," Roberts said. "I spoke to my federal vet at home, and ya know, we've been doing the encephalitis shot for forever, so my vet said the coverage on that particular vaccine's very very good. So, I wasn't terribly concerned."

All the horses at the trials have been vaccinated. Shots are the best way to prevent the spread of EEE among horses.

"I think your odds are 99 to 1 that you're going to lose the horse once they get sick," said Dr. Bob Emery, a veterinarian.

But the economy has forced some other horse owners to skip the vaccinations.

"It's the horse that maybe somebody cut back on consolidation -- didn't vaccinate this year or last year," Emery said. "Those are the horses that we're having problems with."