Case of horse disease strangles found in New Forest

Horse riders have been warned about getting close to grazing ponies, which are a common sight in the New Forest

A case of a highly contagious and potentially fatal equine disease has been confirmed at a national park.

Horse owners in the New Forest, Hampshire, have been warned that a foal with strangles was found in the Longdown area on Sunday.

Strangles is a respiratory disease that spreads easily between horses. It cannot be passed to humans.

The New Forest Verderers said riders should take extra care when passing close to grazing donkeys and ponies.

It added that caution was particularly needed in the Ipley, Longdown and Deerleap areas.

What is strangles?

• One of the most common equine diseases diagnosed in horses worldwide.

• Caused by a bacteria called Streptococcus equi.

• Spread through horse-to-horse contact and via contaminated clothing and equipment.

• Called strangles because the airway can become restricted by swollen lymph nodes.

• Recovery can take three or four weeks.

• The bacteria can spread for about six weeks after signs of infection have gone.

Source: British Horse Society

Strangles is "widely feared" because of its debilitating impact on horses and its "potential economic impact", according to the British Horse Society.

Outbreaks in the past have led to horse sales and other equine-related events being cancelled.

Early signs of strangles include a temperature above 38.5C, lethargy, loss of appetite, a lowered head and neck, coughing, discoloured discharge from the nose and swelling of the glands under the jaw.