Upcoming Utah high school rodeos have been called off over concerns of an ongoing horse virus outbreak found in the southwest U.S. The Wasatch County Events Complex also announced it would be temporarily closed to sanitize the facility due to the outbreak.
The Utah High School Rodeo Association announced Thursday that it has postponed the Dixie 5 & 6 Rodeos scheduled for Friday and Saturday in Hurricane due to the equine herpesvirus-1.
EVH-1 is a fast-moving virus that can be deadly for horses, with the most recent outbreak believed to have started at a rodeo event in Waco, Texas, that attracted a large number of participants.
“The decision to postpone was made out of an abundance of caution to ensure the safety and optimal well-being of our incredible animal athletes,” the association said in a statement.
UHSRA officials said they will announce rescheduled rodeo dates in the future, adding that “additional details about cowboy prom will be forthcoming.”
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