Christmas parades impacted by Equine Herpesvirus

MINEOLA — Two Christmas parades in East Texas will not include horses after Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller issued an urgent alert to horse owners and trainers regarding the reporting of Equine Herpesvirus Type 1 in Waco. According to our news partner KETK, the Mineola Chamber of Commerce has cancelled all horse entries for this year’s Christmas Parade out of an abundance of caution.

“This decision was not made lightly, but the health and safety of our community—and our four-legged friends—comes first,” Mineola officials said. “We appreciate everyone’s understanding and look forward to welcoming horse entries back in future parades when it is safe to do so.”

On Friday afternoon, the New Boston Chamber of Commerce also announced it would not include horses in their Christmas Parade.

In a statement posted online, the Commissioner strongly urged those affected to take action. “Check your horses twice a day, isolate any exposed animals, tighten up your biosecurity, and call your vet the moment something looks off,” Miller said. “If we work together and take this seriously, we can get ahead of this outbreak and keep our horses and our state’s $12.3 billion equine industry safe.”