Venturing Hills Equestrian Farm (VHF) in Luskville, QC, owned by the Becke family since 2007, is experiencing an outbreak of the neurological form of EHV-1 (equine herpesvirus) which has already resulted in the deaths of two horses and the infection of 18 others to date.
While a fundraising effort organized by Anne Marie Duarte has already surpassed the goal of $50,000, ongoing veterinary and biosecurity costs continue to rise as the farm struggles to keep the remaining 5 horses who have not yet contracted the virus to remain isolated and healthy.
It is believed that the highly-contagious virus may have been transferred to the farm in western Quebec via a recently-purchased horse that shipped in Jan. 15 from a Milton, ON, facility that later experienced an EHV-1 outbreak which took the lives of three horses.