Spreading Illness Affecting Horses

High school rodeo riders in Utah are having their competitions delayed or canceled due to the spread of an illness affecting horses.

Horse herpes has been found in Nevada and Arizona, so state officials have acted quickly to try to stop it from spreading to Utah.

But Utah High School Rodeo Association President Shamus Haws says his group can't make up any more of the canceled rodeos this year.

Horse owners say that's a small price to pay to keep their animals safe.

An outbreak in 2012 led to 160 horses being put down.

No confirmed cases of horse herpes have been found in the state, though one horse in southern Utah is being tested for the virus.

Haws says that trying to keep the virus from spreading to Utah has created a problem for young rodeo riders.