One early Los Angeles morning I donned a weekend roller carry-on and hopped the daily direct flight to Southern Oregon’s beautiful Rogue Valley. The flight was an uneventful, short and sweet 1.5 hours curb to curb. I was greeted at the Rogue Valley’s International Medford airport curbside by lovely Corgi kisses. Samantha was her name. The person belonging to Samantha is fellow equine enthusiast and owner/manager of Farwood CEM Treatment Center, Penny Barreras. Farwood CEM Treatment Center is just north of the airport in Sam’s Valley, Oregon and has been providing secondary quarantine services since February, 2001. As we pulled in through the tree-lined drive towards the barn and covered arena, passing the large turn-out areas, I realized that less than two hours ago I was in Los Angeles! I was in for a fun-filled weekend of learning the ropes of CEM facilities and was lucky enough to have Penny Barreras as my guide.

Farwood is an environment created with the care, health and well-being of the equine and equine owner in mind. Farwood is less than 40 miles north of the California border and is a direct haul from the only port of embarkation for equines on the West Coast: Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). All equines entering Los Angeles do their primary quarantine at the Jet Pets facility in Playa Del Rey. From there breeding age mares and stallions go on to a secondary CEM quarantine center such as Farwood.

Farwood’s CEM barn boasts wide aisles with large, comfortable box stalls on either side and a state of the art lab area at the rear of the barn. Imported horses are tested and treated for Contagious Equine Metritus (CEM) according to the regulations set down by the USDA. In addition to offering quality, loving care while in CEM quarantine, Farwood has a private van in to haul mares and stallions directly from the Jet Pets facility, thus minimizing stress. Horses are monitored and cared for by Farwood staff during the haul and are transported under a restricted transportation permit in their sealed van.

Once quarantine horses arrive at Farwood, they are immediately unloaded and hand walked in the indoor arena. Their vital signs are taken, intestinal sounds checked, and more importantly, they are given a chance to relax from their travels. Transported horses are given a warm bran mash, blanketed if necessary, and put into a stall with grass hay to munch.

The following morning, one of six doctors from the Crater Animal Clinic begins their quarantine process with a complete physical examination. Mares are held for 14 days and stallions for 30. At the owner’s request, the culture process on mares can begin while they are still at Jet Pets, to cut the secondary quarantine time down to 11 days. This is especially helpful to those who need their show mares quickly.

With almost 35 years of experience with performance sport horses and an innate understanding of what it takes to keep an animal at its peak, Penny is well aware of the importance of maintenance while in quarantine. Her competition experience with sport horses became her primary reason for requesting the Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA) to apply to the USDA on behalf of the state in the first place. Penny spent two years working and researching to assist in getting Oregon approved for processing and treating CEM horses. “I wanted to provide the special care required by sport horses during their quarantine process in a place where owners, agents and trainers had the tools, equipment and the facility to come and keep the horses in as good shape as possible during the importation process,” Penny explains.

Providing special care is just was Farwood does by offering a relaxed training barn environment for imported horses. They even encourage owners and trainers to visit, or to come and stay while their horses are in quarantine. “I have some wonderful clients that send numerous horses every year who have their own groom or trainer stay while their horses are here. It’s fun to have them [here] training and schooling.” With Farwood’s barn and indoor arena devoted to the CEM horses, keeping them in top show condition is simple year round. Thanks to Penny’s initial efforts with the ODA, Oregon was approved for CEM treatment February 15, 2001. Since then, Farwood has been host to numerous mares and stallions and many of their owners.

Penny and the her staff believe horses who are accustomed to living in a working, show barn relax and thrive in that of type environment, making the transition back to competition more natural. This philosophy has enabled Farwood to release horses and deliver them directly to top facilities such as Spruce Meadows, Indio, and The Oaks. These horses have arrived at the show and done well in classes the very next day. Penny tells me, “It’s exciting to be able to provide this for the great trainers and owners who have given us the privilege of caring for their horses during secondary quarantine.”

While East Coast residents have numerous options for importing and selecting their secondary quarantine, the Northwest has had fewer options. It’s now wonderful for owners, horses and the equine industry on the West Coast to be offered additional options beyond the existing excellent facilities.

Farwood CEM Treatment Center is just one of the operations that Penny manages on her 45-acre facility. Penny has built a beautiful show park, including multiple dressage courts, stadium jumping arenas, and a cross-country course designed exclusively by USA Equestrians and USEA certified designers. As an avid competitor in jumpers and eventing in her early teens and twenties, Penny understands the importance of an efficient and safe environment for sporting events. Farwood Horse Park hosts shows and clinics from June through October. Additionally, it is a training center available to instructors, groups and individuals who can come and school for a day or host camps and seminars.

While it’s no small task to run Farwood CEM Treatment Center and Horse Park, Penny and Farwood have a big advantage. As a small, private facility Penny and her staff have the opportunity to get to know each horse individually. “I’ve made some terrific friends,” Penny states, “both horse and human!”

Contact Farwood CEM Treatment Center or Farwood Horse Park by phone: (541) 830-5304, fax: (541) 830-5305, online: www.farwoodcemtreatmentcenter.com or email: pennyatfarwood@aol.com.

Angelea Kelly is currently a freelance writer & project developer. Several alternative publications & on-line writers forums have published her stories, reviews & commentaries. The bulk of her technical writing was published on-line through a division of Yahoo!, Inc. where she was Producer for WebRing from January 1998 until her resignation June 2000. Angelea holds a BS at Southern Oregon University in Computer Science with a minor in Creative Writing. Her literary emphasis @ Uni was the cultural and historical rejection and deconstruction of traditional Canons by Third World authors. Contact her at me@angelea.com.