Possibility of Strangles Locally-would you liked to be warned-or am i over cautious??

woodlandswow

woodlandswow

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From the horses mouth, the yard down the road may have strangles. :( this info was passed on through the YO who has said she doesn't want anyone knowing.
I think that with many people passing her fields and yard on the main hacking system of the area (:p) she should make everyone warned so if any signs show we know to get the vet asap!
What does everyone else think - am i being too nosy and wait for a proper diagnosis - which i wouldnt be told due to YO's temprament..
I am concerned for my horses health :) however dont know too much about strangles so i could be talking nonsense! help me :)

Sorry - forgot to add - the horse has supposedly got it from a gyspy orse, out on the main road.. ??
 
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A livery yard near us has asked their liveries not to hack out but is still taking in horses for clinics and facilities hire. They sent out an email warning that it's in the local area but their yard doesn't have it and gave sensible advice as to what symptoms to look out for and precautions to take. I keep my horses at home and have been trying to find out where the strangles case is. My vet says a local gypsy horse, local tack shop say one area, word of mouth say different. It's really hard to actually find out where it is and where is safe to hack.
As my fields are so wet I have no choice but to hack out but would really like to know exactly where confirmed cases are so i can avoid them. I wish people could feel they could be more open about it. It's really hard when you keep horses at home to stay in touch with what's happening locally but people really want to keep strangles cases quiet.
 
Having seen the graphic photos of my friends horse who went through strangles and another one ( who died from it) it SHOULD be mandatory to publicise this. What these yards forget is that Chinese whispers start and then some other yards are unfairly blamed - or given the cold shoulder with people refusing to compete there.
 
Thing is with strangles, it's a bit like the Aids hysteria in the 80s (for those of you old enough to remember it).
Having lived through it two years ago, strangles, not Aids, where horse very nearly died, but thankfully is fully recovered, a lot of the advice given to prevent contamination is based on useless information.
Horses stabled in relatively close proximity, some got it, some didn't. Some barely noticed they had it, others, like mine, nearly died. Too little is known about the disease. The vaccination idea hasn't worked either.
There is the change your boots, coats, decontaminate equipment ideas. And yet, instructors will allow a new horse into their manege for a lesson that has been ridden on earlier by a contaminated horse. And people still take horses to shows. Who knows what lurks there?
Much more scientific study needs to be done on strangles.
In the mean time, don't touch strange horses or allow your horse to nuzzle one. And pray you don't get struck down. It is truly horrible and seems to be on the rise.
 
There may be strangles in my area too. I don't know the yard personally or the people there, but apparently the owner of the horse it started with tried to play it down etc.

i think it is better to be open about it, take vet advice, take sensible precautions like no horse leaving the yard and no new horses coming onto the yard, until all infection is gone.

My YO told me that many years ago a horse on the yard got strangles and so they moved it to a stable away from the others, only one person handled it and they wore overalls and dipped their boots in disinfectant, on leaving the horse, they took off the overalls and dipped boots again. None of the horses on the yard caught it and the ill one survived.
 
When there was a known strangles out break at a nearby yard the school I was at didnt want anyone who came into contact etc coming to our yard. I think its irresponsible not to let the other yards know. Its safer and no harm done. It adds more credibility to a yard to be honest.
 
A yard near me had it a few years ago. Given that a loop runs off a popular bridle path right next to the yard, the yard manager put up warning signs on the loop, rang the larger yards nearby & people like me who he knows on smaller places & told us & asked people to tell anyone we knew who'd been in contact prior. Liveries were allowed to hack sensibly away from other horses.
 
.....and rumours can cause havoc.

A friend of mine had recently blasted out over FB that they did NOT have strangles, so those stirring it should please kindly wind their necks in!

I don't see the reason to keep it cloak and dagger, it happens, if WE got it, I'd let everyone know and put signs up as we are right next to a bridleway!
 
Coming into this a little late... There is an email from the Chobham Common Rangers & RSPCA in our tack room about this- apparently an abandoned pony was found around 20th April on a part of Chobham common, which when retrieved was potentially strangles symptomatic and so had been swabbed (at the time of the email they'd not had results)
The advice was carry on as normal, however there is a possibility the ground could be contaminated and so as such try to avoid hacking around that area. They also cancelled the Orientering and EGB Endurance rides that were due to be run over the common that weekend as a pre-caution.

I did get a text from one of the girls about a week or two ago as well saying that a yard in Langshott had got strangles and so to avoid that area, but that could just be rumour!
 
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