OKLAHOMA CITY, OK—JANUARY 27, 2011—The Oklahoma Horse Racing Commission yesterday voted to discontinue the directive that called for a negative test results for Equine Piroplasmosis.

The OQHRA and the TRAO spoke for eliminating the testing requirement based largely on the extremely low incidence of positives over the past year and a half that the testing was required. The TRAO estimated that approximately 10,000 horses were tested in Oklahoma during that period incurring nearly $1 Million dollars in additional cost to owners. The average cost per horse for testing was around $100.

In Oklahoma in 2011 there were only seven positive horses discovered in the state, or less than 7/10th of 1 percent.