MANHATTAN, Kan. The Kansas State equestrian team has announced that next weekend's show at Truman State University in Kirksville, Mo. has been postponed due to an outbreak of strangles among the horses. The show, originally scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 25, through Sunday, Sept. 26, was to be the first show of the season for the equestrian team.

"We are disappointed about not being able to show next weekend," said head coach Teresa Slough. "But on the other hand, it does give us a couple more weeks to practice before we have our first competition, which is good for the new girls on the team."

Strangles is a very contagious bacterial infection that affects the lymph nodes of horses, causing a fever and other flu like symptoms. The illness is not typically lethal, but because strangles is so contagious, it requires that the horses be quarantined.

Up next for the Wildcats is the first western show of the year, which is scheduled to be held Saturday, Oct. 9, at Fox Creek Stables in Manhattan, Kan.

"We will be hosting the first show this year, and that's good because since we won't be traveling, we will be able to let more of the newcomers on this year's team show. In the end, the postponement of this weekend's show will work out," said Slough.

The 2004-05 team boasts 41 returnees, while 43 newcomers joined the roster this fall. Kansas State finished the 2003-04 season with 36 individual first-place finishes and three first-place team finishes. In addition to those successes, the English team finished the regular season undefeated, while the Western team ended the regular season in second place.

K-StateSports Women's Equestrian

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