Return of Strangles Awareness Week for 2021 announced

Keen to stir the equestrian community into action against Strangles once again, the Awareness Week is making a comeback in 2021

Taking place 3–9 May 2021, Strangles Awareness Week once again aims to provide owners, yard managers and equine professionals with the chance to share their stories and support those affected by the disease.

The week is a collaborative effort between the British Horse Society (BHS), Intervacc, Keeping Britain’s Horses Healthy, Redwings Horse Sanctuary, Scotland’s Rural College’s Premium Assured Strangles Scheme (PASS), Surveillance of Equine Strangles (SES), The (Dick) Royal School of Veterinary Studies and World Horse Welfare. With such a huge wealth of experience behind them, this team effort will go a long way towards supporting and helping owners.

Dave Rendle, BEVA Junior Vice President and Chair of the BEVA Health and Medicines Committee, said: “Strangles should be easy to control. With a little more understanding of the disease, we could make massive strides to protect our horses and prevent the disease spreading. Every horse owner should spare an hour or two to tune into Strangles Awareness Week.”

Following a survey of yard owners, 75% of respondents felt that even just speaking publicly about strangles could lead others in the community to suspect there may be an issue, which could affect the business’ reputation and, subsequently, its earnings. With this silence comes the potential for disease to spread further, so it’s essential that people within the equestrian community feel comfortable and confident in speaking about strangles and seeking advice to help them get through an outbreak should one occur.

Andie McPherson, Redwings’ Campaign Manager, said: “When people hear of a strangles outbreak in their area, we want the first reaction to be one of support, not judgement. Strangles can happen to any horse yet sadly there’s still so much stigma attached to it, which stops people speaking out and allows the disease to continue to spread.

“Using the platform of Strangles Awareness Week, we hope as many people as possible will share our free practical information about strangles and feel empowered to talk about their experiences, so we can then start to shift attitudes and hopefully see less horses, owners and businesses facing the misery of dealing with an outbreak.”

The 2020 Strangles Awareness Week reached more than half a million people through social media, with famous riders, such as Joe Stockdale, getting involved – and there’s high hopes for this year’s instalment, too. There’ll be a series of podcasts with figures across the community to spread awareness and help others learn more about preventing and dealing with the disease.

For more information, visit redwings.org.uk