Horse virus causes delay of Pony Express re-enactment

RENO -- Neither rain, nor sleet, nor dark of night could keep Pony Express riders from their appointed rounds, so the story goes. But a deadly horse virus is another matter.

For the first time in its 32-year history, the National Pony Express Association is postponing its annual re-enactment of the famous ride from St. Joseph, Mo., to Sacramento, Calif., this summer because of an outbreak of the equine herpes virus EHV-1.

The 10-day ride is being pushed from June to August.

"It is kind of ironic," said Jim Swigart, the group's president, on Tuesday. "All these things they dealt with in the 1860s we still deal with on the re-ride today: hard rains, floods, all the natural disasters Mother Nature can throw at you.

"But here with this virus scare, it's really a no-brainer. It had to be done. The consensus is, it isn't worth the risk."

The highly contagious virus poses no risk to humans but has been blamed for the deaths of at least 12 horses since the outbreak began in early May at a cutting horse competition in Ogden, Utah. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has confirmed 75 cases in nine Western states, including three on the Pony Express trail: Utah, Nevada and California.

Since 1979, about 1,000 volunteers and more than 600 horses have been re-enacting the 1,966-mile ride, which also passes through parts of Kansas, Nebraska, Colorado and Wyoming in relay fashion.

This year's ride was set to take place June 8-18.

Organizers are banking on the likelihood the virus will have run its course by the time the rescheduled dates come around. Riders will leave St. Joseph on Aug. 17 and arrive in Sacramento on Aug. 27 with letters in their leather mail pouches purchased by trail enthusiasts celebrating its 151st anniversary.

"Those letters will be delayed, but they are going to be delivered," Swigart said. "That's the important part."

National group leaders scrambled over the Memorial Day weekend to poll state officers about whether they thought the ride should continue in June.

"It's just too bad," said Utah division President Mark Jenkins, who lives in South Salt Lake City. "Jim was in a tough spot and had to make a tough decision."

Gary Nezos, president of the Nevada division, said some riders in his state had raised concerns about the virus.

"I think the chances of being exposed were minimal, but if there was an even a slight chance we could spread it, we thought it made sense to err on the side of safety," Nezos said.

Horse events have been canceled in several states, but others are going ahead as scheduled, including the College National Finals Rodeo scheduled June 11-18 in Casper, Wyo., and the Reno Rodeo June 16-25.

The Pony Express operated from April 3, 1860, to late 1861. Riders switched to fresh horses every 10 to 15 miles, handing off to a new rider every 75 miles or so to complete the route.

In Nevada, the trail passes through the property of the Moonlite BunnyRanch, a legal brothel where the local chapter of a historical society placed a marker and plaque in recognition of the route in 2002.

"If the BunnyRanch had been here on the Pony Express Trail 150 years ago," brothel owner Dennis Hof said at the dedication, "it would probably have added a day or two to the trip."