10/04/2026
A 17-year-old Thoroughbred in California tested positive for EIA this week. He didn't make it.
EIA β equine infectious anemia. No vaccine. No cure. A positive test means the horse gets put down, or spends the rest of its life quarantined far from any other horse. Either way, that horse's life as it knew it is over.
43 other horses on that property are quarantined right now, waiting on a 60-day retest.
What you need to know:
- It spreads through blood. Biting flies are the #1 way it moves horse to horse. Shared needles and dirty equipment too.
- The Coggins test IS the EIA test. If your horse's Coggins isn't current, you're flying blind. Events and hauling require it for a reason.
- Fly control isn't cosmetic. It's disease control.
Not trying to scare anybody. But if you truly love your horse, you know what can take them β not just the pretty parts.
If you board, haul, or share equipment β when's the last time all of it got a real sanitizing? Not a rinse. A real one.