03/08/2026
March 6 2026
A note from Heather Hill Farm-
To my fellow Chester County equestrians: I wanted to make this post to clear up some information that has been circulating regarding an outbreak of Equine Coronavirus here at Heather Hill Farm. Normally this would be dealt with more privately, however, since the information is already out, it’s best the facts come from us. We have had a single horse test positive for coronavirus after exhibiting colic symptoms and having our vet inform us that we should also test as it has been confirmed in our area. This horse is in quarantine, and thankfully doing very well with very little symptoms. At this time, we do not have any other confirmed cases.
We at Heather Hill are taking every precaution to reduce or eliminate any spread of the virus throughout our farm with proper biosecurity measures. Our wonderful vet team at New Bolton has been fantastic at the immediate identification, recommendations for treatment, and education on a virus that not many have experience with, and I cannot thank them enough.
For those who don’t know, as I did not, here is what I have learned. Equine Coronavirus is a GI virus which is common in our area around this time of year. There have been more cases identified this year than previous years, possibly due to the very harsh winter not being able to kill the virus off with heat and sun. The virus is spread from f***l to oral, meaning it lives in the f***s, can get tracked into areas that the horses are eating in both by human shoes and horse feet, and can spread. Many horses present asymptomatic and never show symptoms, and can shed the virus weeks after initial infection making it nearly impossible to identify where it originated from. For those who do present with symptoms, they can appear within 24-48 hours from exposure and usually present with horses going off grain and exhibiting colic-like symptoms. This is not communicable between species.
Within an hour of receiving a positive coronavirus result, I was made aware that rumors were flying around Chester county farms placing blame on other farms and individuals for a potential outbreak. Let me be clear in saying, this is no one’s fault. It is physically impossible to confirm exactly where or when this virus was first exposed, and therefore any speculation involving any other farms, owners, or individuals has not been perpetuated by myself or my team. How this information was shared so quickly is beyond me, but it is important to focus on the facts not speculation.
I am sharing this information as we have nothing to hide. Any virus or disease presence on a horse farm is everyone’s worst nightmare. No one wishes for this, but it is no one’s fault that it happened. Here at Heather Hill, my first concern is and always will be the welfare of our horses. While our doors are temporarily closed, we will be doing all due diligence to ensure a quick recovery so we can all move into spring happy and healthy. I hope that by sharing, I can help others by educating about a virus that many of us have never seen in hopes that it doesn’t present for others.
Wishing everyone a happy and healthy spring and hopefully an end in sight to this awful winter!
Jen
Operations Manager
Heather Hill Farm
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