Bransby Horses warning to horse owners after Strangles outbreak

Strangles is a highly infectious respiratory disease affecting horses, which can be fatal in severe cases

It spreads through direct horse to horse contact and also indirectly through contaminated equipment, such as a handler’s clothing, buckets or boots.

Both feed and especially water sources can also be significant in the disease’s spread.

Bransby Horses veterinary advisor Jeremy Kemp-Symonds recently co-authored a research paper which defines the rate Streptococcus equi – the bacterium that causes Strangles – spreads.

He said: “We have defined the R0 number – that’s a measure of the rate at which the infection spreads – for the first time at just over two. That means that, on average, every horse that is infected with Strangles will infect another two, if no preventative action is taken.

“Although this may seem quite high, we now know that, with the right interventions, it is possible to break the cycle of infection using some simple measures such as strict quarantining of known and suspected cases, good biosecurity and regular temperature checks of equines, to help assess those that may be infected.

“Bransby Horses is challenged by welfare cases arriving with Strangles on a regular basis, but because of our stringent biosecurity and isolation measures in our quarantine unit for new arrivals, we haven’t had a single outbreak for over 15 years.”