According to an article in Friday’s Tennessean by Kate Howard, a horse that was on the showgrounds during the Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration tested positive for rabies. The Tennessean reportedly obtained the information from Tennessee Department of Health officials.

Apparently the horse was euthanized on September 2 after becoming ill on August 28. The horse did not compete in the Celebration but was stabled in Barn 50 by itself according to the article.

Rabies is rare in horses and does not generally pass from one animal to another unless there is a bite. The strain of rabies it contracted is a strain of rabies found in bats. It may have been infected in Missouri prior to its arrival in Tennessee.