Ernie was humanely euthanized in August 2005 due to an advanced case of HERDA. He was a 13–15 year old black stud pony that was rescued from a feedlot in Eastern WA. HERDA is a genetic skin disorder, most common in certain QH bloodlines, that causes the skin to literally detach from the body. Ernie was covered in old scars and recent open, infected wounds. Most HERDA horses are put down upon diagnosis at around 2 years of age, as there is no cure. That Ernie was allowed to suffer as long as 15 years, and the fact that he was possibly used as a breeding animal, is truly unthinkable. He also appeared to have never had his teeth or his feet taken care of. A skin biopsy was taken and sent to Cornell University after he was put down in hopes that it will lead to better testing methods to identify HERDA horses and help put a stop to its continued spread. Sadly, the AQHA refuses to acknowledge the disease as a genetic QH problem (even though it almost exclusively seen in certain Poco Beuno lines), and thus these animals continued to be bred, and in Ernie’s case, later discarded.
UPDATE! Dr. Nena Winand, a veterinarian at Cornell University, has identified the genetic defect that causes HERDA and has developed a test for it that is 100% accurate!! This is a HUGE breakthrough and very exciting news. Dr. Winand was a huge help to SAFE with diagnosing Ernie, which was difficult due its rarity and lack of genetic history on Ernie. The samples from Ernie and others like him played an instrumental role in helping her with her research.
Click here for more information on HERDA.
