Equestrian Personalities Support Strangles Awareness Week

This week- May 6th – 10th is Strangles Awareness Week, a collaboration launched four years ago by equine welfare charities and spear headed by Redwings Horse Sanctuary, an industry led week to highlight the risks of infectious diseases, and how yard owner and horse owners ca take steps to prevent outbreaks on yards by improving their BEST practice and being conscious of choices when it comes to protecting the equines in their care. 

This year there has bene a major focus on the devastation and effects of outbreaks, hearing from the likes of Ivesley Equestrian and Richmond EC who have both suffered as a result of strangles outbreaks on their premises in recent years. Owners who keep their horses at Ivesley Equestrian in County Durham have shared their experiences of an outbreak in June 2023 in a series of online videos. Six of 55 livery horses tested positive for the disease, “a figure which could have been much higher had it not been for the swift action and robust security measures introduced to manage the outbreak”.

Through SAW 2024, experts are calling on the equestrian community to give their horses the BEST protection from strangles by taking these steps:

• Boost immunity by vaccinating against strangles
• Educate yourself and others
• Separate new horses
• Temperature check routinely

Leading British riders William Fox-Pitt and Richard Davison, eventing legend Lucinda Green, and influencer Riding with Rhi are supporting the campaign and have produced videos demonstrating how owners can put these measures into place.

“I am supporting Strangles Awareness Week because I would love to see us prevent more horses from experiencing this horrible disease by doing the BEST we can for our horses,” said William.

You can follow Strangles Awareness Week on Facebook to see their content and find out more, and you can also find a dedicated space for SAW on the Redwings Strangles Hub.

On the Yard Owner Hub, you can find all of the SAW Strangles resources, as well general guidance on yard biosecurity, and a huge amount of other resources and guidance relating to best practice and the health and welfare of equines.