In February 2015, Redwings Horse Sanctuary experienced an outbreak of strangles – a highly contagious respiratory disease.
As a horse rescue charity, Redwings is used to dealing with strangles in neglected and abandoned horses that come into the Sanctuary; however, this was the first case of strangles in one of Redwings’ resident herds in 23 years. At the height of the outbreak a total of 24 horses tested positive for strangles, although over 500 required testing and nine quarantine zones were in operation.
The Sanctuary spent eight months battling the disease before the final quarantine was lifted. The full details of the outbreak can be read on Redwings’ website.
Redwings were quick to issue a statement on the outbreak as soon as the first strangles case was confirmed and wanted to emphasise that if an outbreak can happen at a Sanctuary with extremely rigorous quarantine procedures such as theirs, it can happen to anywhere and to anyone.
This inspired the charity to ramp up their efforts in encouraging horse owners and yards to #SpeakOutOnStrangles. Redwings Education and Campaigns Manager Andie Vilela was the driving force behind a nationwide survey launched in April 2016 that aimed to understand horse owners’ perceptions of the disease, and their current approach to infectious disease prevention and control.
The survey received a fantastic response and represented a diverse demographic of horse owners. Over 2,000 horse owners completed the survey and the results pin-pointed two key findings. Over 90% of respondents agreed that strangles should be more of a priority in the UK, but the results also highlighted a lack of screening for new arrivals at yards for the disease.
Following a presentation at this year’s National Equine Forum, Redwings published the full report of findings. If you’d like more information or are concerned about strangles, Redwings’ free prevention pack for yards and horse owners can be downloaded via the charity’s website or can be requested in hard copy, including quarantine posters, by emailing: education@redwings.co.uk.
