Bella Peregrina Ranch

20/11/2025

URGENT NOTICE REGARDING EHV OUTBREAK AND HORSE TRANSPORT
(Attribution: Some of this is Redistributed from others. Edits are my own words.)
I originally wrote this post early this morning when I have had no sleep because I have been awake since this was brought to my attention yesterday. This post reflects only the information I have at this moment from several veterinarian sources regarding barrel racing events and EHV-1 / EHM outbreaks. Any mention of the specific discipline of barrel racing in my post is solely to share the updates I have received from veterinarians. It is never meant to criticize, blame, or cast the specific discipline of barrel racing in a negative light.
I truly feel awful knowing my post may have cause any stress or hurt feelings. That is absolutely not my intention, and I am sincerely sorry for any worry it causes.
My only goal is to share timely information and encourage caution during this rapidly changing EHV-1 / EHM situation. Sending appreciation and understanding to everyone working so hard behind the scenes during a very challenging week for our horse community. 💛🐴🌾
🚨 HORSE OWNERS: PLEASE READ — THIS IS EXTREMELY SERIOUS. 🚨
THIS IS A LONG POST — but worth your time. Please don’t scroll past this.
I don’t care who gets mad at me for saying this:
This is NOT the week to be hauling your horses around. We will not be hauling horses for the next two weeks at least.
This is not the time for being aware of the risks and going anyway to “just run and leave.”
This is not the time for denial, excuses, or people saying “it’ll be fine.”
We are dealing with a very aggressive strain of EHV-1 / EHM, and overnight cases have been appearing across the lower 48 and into Canada. Horses are declining fast — some within 24–36 hours — and a few have died with no fever and no warning signs at all. Several major events held over the last couple of weeks now have confirmed exposures, and thousands of horses are currently traveling home to barns across the country.
There is a VERY real possibility that some of the horses currently traveling cross country were unknowingly exposed at a rodeo, jackpot, or barrel race recently. OR they never traveled, but they’ve now been unknowingly exposed to horses that did. At least a thousand horses have traveled across the country to Texas and Oklahoma in the last couple of weeks — and those areas are currently experiencing the worst outbreaks. Those horses could be back home and now be silent carriers, spreading it to others without anyone realizing it since they are not showing signs of illness yet or they are now a horse that has been exposed and appears healthy, but is spreading it to others.
If you hauled anywhere recently — or even stood near someone who did — please take this seriously.
This Is How Easily It Spreads.
People are saying, “We’ll just haul in, park at the trailer, run, and haul out.” “It will be fine”.
No. That’s not how viruses work.
Here’s the real scenario:
• You walk up to watch a friend run.
• A horse nearby sneezes or blows.
• You don’t think anything of it — the horse looks perfectly healthy.
• The virus lands on your coat, boots, or gloves.
• You go back to your trailer and handle your own horse…
• And now your horse is exposed.
They don’t have to touch noses.
They don’t need a fever.
They don’t even need symptoms.
EHV spreads through airborne droplets, contaminated clothing, warm-up pens, alleyways, trailers, and stalls — just like COVID, but for horses.
A perfectly normal-looking horse can shed the virus LONG before showing signs. That’s why outbreaks explode after large events.
Every State Is Now at Risk
Horses are leaving Texas, Oklahoma, and other major shows right now and heading back to their home states. Nobody knows who walked past who, who shared an alleyway, who stood along the warm-up fence, or which farriers, vets, and trainers traveled between barns.
This is exactly how multi-state outbreaks happen.
I’m absolutely not happy about losing money — but nothing is worth putting horses aboard my trailer at risk, OR the horses that stay home who could be exposed secondhand.
Why This Virus Is Terrifying
EHV can spread through:
• Nasal discharge & aerosol droplets
• Shared tack, brushes, buckets, stalls, or trailers
• HUMAN hands, coats, boots, gloves, hair
• Horses shedding virus before symptoms
• Stress from hauling, weather changes, training, or routine handling
Once infected, horses become lifelong carriers, and stress can trigger them to shed the virus again.
Symptoms You MUST Watch For
• Fever (normal is 99.5–101.5°F)
• Nasal discharge
• Coughing
• Lethargy
• Enlarged lymph nodes
• Hind-end weakness or wobbliness
• Stumbling or incoordination
• Urine dribbling
• Inability to stand
• Pregnant mares may abort
If you see anything unusual — call your vet immediately.
Do NOT haul your horse in unless your vet instructs you to.
If Your Horse Has Traveled Recently
ANY recent jackpot, show, rodeo, clinic, or expo means your horse needs strict quarantine for 14–21 days:
• No nose-to-nose contact
• Full separation from the herd
• Separate water buckets, brushes, hay nets, and feed pans
• Change clothes between horses
• Take temperatures twice a day
• Absolutely NO hauling during quarantine
And please — be honest with your trainer, barn owner, and vet.
Biosecurity Matters More Than Ever
• Disinfect trailers, stalls, buckets, tack
• Remove dirt first — disinfectant does not work on organic material
• Use a veterinarian-approved disinfectant - do not use bleach on metal surfaces such as your trailer as it corrodes and destroys metal.
• Allow all surfaces to dry fully
• Ask your farrier where they’ve been
• Ask whether they’re disinfecting tools and changing clothes
It’s not just horses.
It’s the people coming in and out.
Vaccines
• Do NOT vaccinate a horse that may have been exposed.
• Horses with no exposure should get an EHV booster if it’s been over 90 days.
Please — GO HOME. STAY HOME.
I know rescheduling is difficult and cancellations mean losing money, but PLEASE consider postponing or canceling transport until this settles.
Let’s shut this virus down before more horses are lost.
I’m not taking transporting horses right now until this passes. Horses - my horses and your horses - are my job, my life, and my heart — and I’m not gambling with something this contagious.
This isn’t about fear.
This is about responsibility.
Our horses are depending on us to make smart decisions for them right now.
If we all pull together, follow quarantine protocols, and limit hauling for the next couple of weeks, we CAN slow this down.
Stay safe, take precautions, and protect your horses. They depend on you. ♥️🐴
We are stopping horse transport operations effective immediately. I have been sleepless for over 24 hours now doing my due diligence and research to make the best decision, since I was first informed of this yesterday.
I can not in ANY good faith load horses onto our trailers, from anywhere in the US, especially not Texas and Oklahoma. Barrel racing and other specific discipline shows are making the call to cancel last night, and those potentially exposed horses are also making their way home across the entire US right now. They have no choice, and I know they are terrified as well. They were in the thick of it. It is my belief that the best hope and the only hope to get this stopped as quickly as possible is to get horses to where they are going, and lock everything down.
We haul amazing horses, but a lot of those amazing horses travel for a living. And no matter how careful any of us may be, we have no idea how far this has actually gone. Unfortunately we are about to find out in the next two weeks.
For anyone still considering shipping your horses, I highly recommend 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐃𝐎 𝐍𝐎𝐓. I’m going to preach, sing, testify and get a witness up in here, and say flat out that there are literally hundreds of sh*tty shippers who mix clean and dirty loads from kill pens. Those “transporters” either don't know and or don't care about disease outbreaks and biosecurity, let alone know the severity of this highly contagious, deadly EHV1/EHM outbreak. I know some of them are already taking advantage, descending like vultures and ants to fill the void left by those of us reliable, trustworthy transporters with integrity who are temporarily stopping transport. Sadly, many people who value Cheap and Fast more than Quality will hire them. You do you, boo, but for the sake of your horses, please be careful. I've said it before, and Imina say it agin - let me tell y'all a lil sumthin before we leave: You are your horses' only Voice and only Choice. They get what you choose to pay for / not pay for. They suffer and / or die from what you choose to pay for / not to pay for.
For all of the reasons above, please do not transport your horses for at least the next two weeks.
Having said all that: 𝐨𝐮𝐫 next 𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐩 𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐝𝐮𝐥𝐞𝐝 from Texas 𝐓𝐎 Kentucky, 𝐟𝐨𝐫 December 8th/9th or December 15th/16th. 𝐖𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐞 𝐥eaving from Kentucky 𝐃𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 10th/11𝐭𝐡 or 17th/18th, 𝐭𝐨 return 𝐓𝐎 Texas. We 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐛𝐨𝐭𝐡 𝐝𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬, 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐧𝐞𝐱𝐭 𝐚𝐯𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐩, 𝐚𝐬 𝐬𝐨𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐬 𝐰𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐢𝐭 SAFELY.
Two weeks hopefully will be enough amount of time to re-evaluate the current conditions at that time. Keep your horses quarantined at home for at least two weeks. We will make decisions as the time grows closer.
We are going to play this by ear, and we are doing our part - and we hope you all are, too. Quarantine your horses that have been off property, period. If we are able to continue on with our next trip, as planned, we will NOT be accepting horses on our trailer that have traveled around prior to our transport, especially specific disciplines such as barrel racing. If you want a horse on our upcoming trip, keep them home starting now.
I’m going to end with this. We have the best friends and family clients, and it is our privilege and our pleasure to haul the best horses. We love our clients and their horses to the moon and back. All of our friends and family clients are choosing to stick with us and wait this out. This affects every single one of us, and I am eternally grateful for everyone's kindness, patience and understanding.
We respect all the other transporters, many of whom are also friends and family, who have also made the choice to suspend things for a minute. We rely on this income to pay our bills weekly, and a lot of others do as well. This is an awful situation to be in, all the way around. I'm not sure what we will do in the next two weeks, but I do feel confident that this is the right decision to get us back in action as quickly as possible. Owners, Buyers and Sellers, please do your parts as well. Your horses will still get home, with much less worry.
We have so many people personally affected by this. I can not find any other words other than I am so, so sorry some of you have already lost horses and others are fighting for their lives. I hope for the rest of you that time passes quickly and you make it through this unscathed. It makes me sick. My heart is swimming in tears of blood. I hope we can all do what is needed to get this stopped as fast as humanly possible.

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18/11/2025

UPCOMING HORSE TRANSPORT

Coggins and Health Certs required by state and federal law
Discount Rideshare Rate
Dates To Be Determined
Monday 12/8 - Friday 12/12
or
Monday 12/15 - Friday 12/19

Route:
Rockdale TX > Alexandria KY > Elizabethtown KY > La Grange TX > Rockdale TX
We can add additional states, up to 800 additional miles, to this route: https://maps.app.goo.gl/hBfDnaQVqpyiHYRz6

4STAR trailer powered by Cummins + Aisin
600 miles per day - 8 to 10 hours drive time
Stall and a half Slants or Box stalls
2 - 4 hours rest stops
12 hours overnight layovers
Hay and water at all times
Photo and/or video updates daily
5 star quality of horse care, communication, punctuality and customer service
Husband and wife team with 75 years combined equine experience - we pride ourselves on being horsemen first and foremost

Our superpowers = Integrity, Trustworthy, Reliability
We do what we say we will do,
When we say we will do it,
the Way we say we will do it,

Visit facebook.com/skyeds and facebook.com/bella.peregrina.ranch for references and rig photos.
Contact me:
Comment here
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512-269-6309 call or text
[email protected] email

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14/11/2025

This is a bit long, but important to share ❤️ 15 Fascinating Facts About Horses’ Emotional Memory and Empathy

1. Horses hold one of the most powerful long-term memories among domestic animals — recalling people, voices, and events for decades.

2. They read human intent through facial expressions, distinguishing friend from threat long before a hand is raised.

3. A single act of kindness can echo for years — a horse may seek out the same person even after a long separation.

4. Trauma carves deep grooves — a horse may forever avoid a place, object, or person tied to fear.

5. They sense human emotion through voice tone, breath rhythm, and body tension — even from across a field.

6. They respond not just to fear, but to sadness, joy, or confusion — silently, instinctively.

7. Mirror neurons in their brains allow them to feel what others feel — true empathy in motion.

8. When tears fall nearby, a horse may approach softly, lower its head, and offer a gentle touch — comfort without words.

9. A wounded horse can form the deepest bonds with a patient human — shared pain becomes shared trust.

10. Horses are proven emotional therapists for PTSD, depression, and anxiety — healing hearts, not just bodies.

11. They grieve deeply — lingering by a lost companion or withdrawing in quiet mourning.

12. Once bonded, they memorize your personal rhythms — footsteps, breath, even the silence between.

13. Their memory isn’t just survival — it’s the foundation for profound connection with those who earn their trust.

14. With gentle consistency, fear can be rewritten into safety — even shattered trust can be rebuilt.

15. Horse empathy is biological fact, not folklore — their brains and hearts sync with human emotion in real time.

14/11/2025

If you are local to central Texas, and you are interested in this, but you don't have your own horse, please let us know. We are thinking about taking 8 - 12 of our horses.

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14/11/2025

We have lost students over this.
We will continue to lose students over this.
Take the time it takes, and it will take less time.
Slow and steady wins the race. And this is NOT a race.

Rushing a task leads to mistakes that ultimately require more time to fix, while a more deliberate and focused approach done correctly the first time will be more efficient overall. A little upfront patience and focus saves time in the long run. Avoid costly mistakes - rushing often leads to errors that must be corrected later, costing more time than if the task was done right initially. Focus on one thing at a time - the principle encourages full concentration on the current task, which is more efficient than being distracted or multitasking. Embrace a mindful approach - please be mindful of the energy you bring to our horses' spaces. Taking a moment to be present and mindful can improve the quality of your work and reduce stress, paradoxically saving time.

"You can trot and cry at the same time!"

This might be an unpopular opinion, but just because you can doesn't mean you should.
Do you know why I think this ' joke' is unhelpful?
It's not actually a joke. This happens to be some instructors strategy for ' teaching the trot'. Sometimes people might stumble on some success through this, but I wouldn't call it teaching, and the horse suffers through it. Humans get to choose whether to subject themselves to this torture, horses don't..
This and the 'No stirrup November' craze (which has, thankfully , quietened down) cause horses great discomfort.
I realize that some of the people trotting and crying already know how to trot, and are trying to develop a balanced, cadanced trot from the horse. This can, in fact, be developed through a thoughtful groundwork program. Not mindless lungeing, but solid communication with conditioned cue to reinforce the desired movement. This way the horse doesn't have to be bounced on until it figures out what is expected of it.
Much of the time that uncadenced trot is the result of anxiety or lack of fitness, or both. If it's fitness, developing a baseline on the ground and gradually transferring it to ridden is far kinder than pushing a horse past their current capacity. If it's anxiety it needs to be addressed on the ground too!
When it comes to a rider learning to trot, I find it best to work on a few strides at. time and grow from there.
Yes, that takes longer. Yes, your student that wants to be riding a jumping show by the end of their first months lessons might leave if they aren't trotting circles by the end of their first lesson. That still doesn't justify putting your horse through the bouncing sack of potatoes ' trot until you cry' routine.
I have spoken to a number of friends who instruct about this, and other riding school phenomena, and the motivation is often honorable. They want to keep students to show them the right way, so they don't end up at one of the ' production line' riding schools.
The thing is, there has to be. line in the sand for the things we are willing to do for the sake of the horse. If we compromise just to keep students, pretty soon you become the same as those ' other riding schools' you were trying to save them from.

12/11/2025

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RESPECTING THE STUDENT…

In discovering something new to us, or in coaching something, we should be careful not to assume that if others do not call it by the same name, they have not experienced it.

For example, you’d be surprised by the number of ranchers who have a lived memory of dressage components in their bodies, whose only language for it has been between them and their horse.

This is why I believe so deeply in consilience, in experiences and truths that are universal, and it’s why I bristle when anyone attempts to gatekeep, monopolize, or claim ownership or exception to something that is, by nature’s law, accessible to anyone.

And it’s why I try desperately not to over-teach.

Or, heaven forbid, trainer-splain to another trainer. Nothing gives me more secondhand embarrassment than seeing another trainer do this, because I’ve done it.

Most people‘s territory of felt experience is way larger than the map they have to describe it.

This is why I spend so much time observing students rather than instructing. I’m information-gathering.

This is why I no longer teach group clinics.

To observe someone, to understand their current sense of the territory, and then build a map of shared language around that, respects their underlying experience and autonomy.

For instance, I’m often coaching very experienced, lifelong riders who grew up ranching, but who now wish to explore classical concepts.

These horsemen have an incredible depth of feel, built from decades of experience, something no one should disregard or bulldoze.

Before we start teaching, whether horse or human, we should take the time to really see them, and never take for granted the trust they’ve handed us in the process.

12/11/2025

11/11/2025

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11/11/2025

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08/11/2025

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Digital print on high quality art paper.