An equine welfare charity has cancelled an open day on Saturday (9 August) that could have raised a much-needed £20,000 and implemented a lockdown owing to an infection outbreak – as it states “safety comes first”.

Today (7 August) Bristol-based HorseWorld reported an outbreak of streptococcus zooepidemicus, known as strep zoo. The charity said around 10% of its 110 residents are currently affected and its team is “prioritising welfare and disease control in line with veterinary guidance”.

HorseWorld chief executive Jo Coombs said that strep zoo can cause serious infections like pneumonia, particularly in young or immune-compromised horses.

“While strep zoo isn’t as serious as strangles for a normal horse, many of the rescued horses at HorseWorld are immunocompromised, so at a higher risk,” she said.

“Safety comes first – of our horses and our supporters – and so, while it is heartbreaking to do so, in line with veterinary guidance we have taken the tough decision to cancel our open day. And because so many horses in our herd are at higher risk and there is strangles in the local area, we have taken the additional step of locking our site down to all but essential staff and suppliers.”

Ms Coombs added that HorseWorld’s open day is an essential part of the charity’s fundraising programme and had been expected to raise £20,000.

“We are monitoring the situation and hope to be able to open our gates again soon. In the meantime, we will be launching a virtual fundraising appeal to ensure that the charity can continue to provide the highest levels of care for our rescued horses,” she said.

“Our fundraising appeal will feature videos, vet chats and behind-the-scenes footage, to give everyone the opportunity to experience our HorseWorld site and work virtually. We hope this will encourage people to donate to the appeal, helping us support the increased number of horses we are currently caring for on site because other centres are full. A high number of these are abandoned, neglected mares and foals, who are most at risk.”

• Donations can be made to the virtual open day at: https://www.horseworld.org.uk/lockdown

Ms Coombs said HorseWorld is also suffering from a lack of grass and increasing cost of feed owing to the dry weather.

“Now with extra veterinary costs associated with this outbreak, the situation is critical. Antibiotics alone will be around £100 per affected horse,” she said.

“We hope that our friends, supporters, open day visitors and even people who are finding out about us for the first time will support our appeal at this challenging time. Every contribution, no matter the size, will directly support the daily care of horses that have already suffered – and who now need the help more than ever.”

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From grassroots to championships, keeping competitors infection-free requires a robust routine. Lesley Barwise-Munro MRCVS explains

TRAVELLING to and staying away at shows again is an exciting prospect. To ensure a healthy, infection-free season, however, we must undertake thorough preparation to protect our competition horses from a variety of potential health threats.

The outbreak of the equine herpes virus-1 (EHV-1) paralytic strain this year in Europe was an extreme example, highlighting the risk of rapid spread of an infectious disease at a show.

Biosecurity – the term for the good hygiene practices that prevent disease transmission – must start at home. This means every yard should have an isolation system for newly purchased horses and short-stay visitors. Ideally, each incoming horse should undergo testing for strangles, equine influenza (flu) and EHV, prior to integration.

Currently, there is a health declaration form to complete for all competitions, to certify that horses arriving at a competition have no known signs of illness and have not had contact with any infectious diseases. This relies on the honesty and vigilance of owners in observing their horses in the run-up to the show, which should include temperature-taking at least once a day for a week or so in advance.

International eventer Oliver Townend is a great advocate of biosecurity. Having recently travelled two horses to the Kentucky five-star in the US – Cooley Master Class and eventual winner Ballaghmor Class (pictured in action at Badminton, left) – the Townend team quite rightly prides itself on effective quarantine and preparation of horses for top-level competition.

At home, Oliver runs a barn system where horses are stabled in small groups, so meticulous biosecurity measures can be applied and any health issues can be swiftly dealt with. Each barn has its own equipment, which is regularly disinfected, and grooms have a high standard of hygiene.

“We are incredibly careful about the isolation of our horses,” he explains. “Visitors and any grooms other than the horses’ own have minimum contact with them, both at the yard and away. Temperatures are taken daily at home, and at least twice a day when away at competitions – and for 48 hours upon return.”

TRIP HAZARDS

WHILE international competition brings its own challenges, any kind of gathering of horses from different yards will increase the risk of infection spread.

Make sure that your horse’s vaccinations comply with the requirements of your registered discipline. Plan ahead, as FEI rules stipulate that a horse should not be vaccinated for flu within seven days prior to entering the competition stables.

Flu and EHV vaccinations will help to protect against these diseases. While there is no specific vaccination against the EHV-1 paralytic form, it is thought there is some protection for vaccinated horses through herd immunity.

Keep the lorry well ventilated. It is advisable not to share transport with horses from different yards and, if possible, to travel to competitions daily to avoid the risk of cross-infection with others in show stabling.

Infection is not only transmitted directly, through horse-to-horse contact, but also indirectly, on hands, tack or other equipment. While viral particles and bacteria can live in an environment for several days, they can be killed with disinfectant.

Where an overnight stay is necessary, stringent hygiene measures are recommended. If your horse is the first into new temporary stabling, on grass, and the shavings bales provided are unopened, this should be fine in terms of biosecurity. Used bedding can be a disease transmission risk, however, in terms of nasal discharge or coughed aerosol droplets, so take your own if it is feasible to pack some in the lorry.

A horse can lick or nuzzle anywhere, so treat the stable surfaces with an approved disinfectant such as Virkon. Prevent nose-to-nose contact with neighbours, either through or over the top of stable walls – secure some waterproof material with cable-ties, in the absence of anything specifically designed.

Use your own equipment, and clean your hands regularly with antibacterial gel. Since communal hose pipes potentially harbour infection, take a supply of water with you. If you must use a shared hose pipe, disinfect the end regularly.

WORK:FEED RATIOS

ADDITIONAL health issues can crop up. To reduce the risk of the muscle condition exertional rhabdomyolysis (known as tying up, or azoturia), make a work plan right up to the day of travel – and during the away stay.

There are sometimes “easy days” at shows, but maintain a horse’s work and dietary balance. Follow a proper warm-up and cool-down routine to assist muscle recovery and repair.

“We kept the two horses that were travelling to Kentucky as fit as possible, right up to the point of setting off, knowing that they had to go into quarantine where the work level and feed would be reduced,” Oliver reports.

Some horses do not like a change of water, so encourage a poor drinker to stay hydrated to avoid impaction colic.

Biosecurity measures should continue at home, where thorough disinfecting of all equipment – including the lorry or trailer – is recommended. Isolate a returning competitor for a minimum of two weeks, where possible, monitoring for a raised temperature or signs of sickness, to lessen the risk of infecting other horses.

Bust stress to boost immunity

SOME horses travel well, while others become stressed by the experience. Stress is thought to have some impact on the immune system, making a horse more susceptible to infectious disease. By maintaining his routine and minimising the effects of stress, the better the chances that he will compete to his full potential.

In the run-up to a show, gradually introduce the haylage a horse will be eating while away. This may mean changing from a big bale to smaller, more convenient bales Or, as the Townend team does, take small bales with you made from the same haylage as the big bales.

Oliver helps protect his horses from the effects of stress by feeding probiotics prior to travelling and competing, which are thought to maintain healthy gut function, and veterinary-prescribed omeprazole to guard against gastric ulcers – which can also be triggered by stress. Electrolytes, given under veterinary guidance and always with free access to fresh water, are particularly beneficial in hot weather or when horses are working hard, to replace salts lost through sweat.

Horses arriving at a venue after a long trip, especially in the summer heat, can be more vulnerable to infection. Reduce journey stress by setting off in good time, and allow for some recovery time upon arrival. Hand-grazing is good for gut function, as well as enabling any fluid that has collected in the airways during travel to drain from the nostrils, but does pose an infection risk. It is imperative to find clean grass, which can be difficult at competition centres that have a high turnover of shows.

The vet

LESLEY BARWISE-MUNRO MRCVS, from Alnorthumbria Veterinary Group in Northumberland, attended the London and Rio Olympics – and hopes to travel to Tokyo – as an FEI treating vet. 01670 897597, alnorthumbriavets.co.uk

You can also read this feature in the 27 May issue of Horse & Hound magazine.

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Experts are calling for all owners to incorporating simple measures into their daily routine to help prevent the spread of disease, warning that biosecurity leaves ‘a lot to be desired’ at many yards

Owners who have become complacent about biosecurity must up their game to combat the real risk of infectious disease.

Following the equine herpes virus outbreak in Hampshire (news, 16 January) and more than 219 equine flu outbreaks in 2019, experts agree more can be done to reduce the risk of disease spread — and call for people not to forget about biosecurity when outbreaks are not prevalent.

 David Rendle, specialist in equine internal medicine and member of the British Equine Veterinary Association’s health and medicines committee, told H&H biosecurity leaves “a lot to be desired” at many yards.

“We all are too complacent about the risk of infectious disease,” he said. “People think outbreaks will happen to someone else and that’s why they don’t take the precautions they should.

“The biggest risk is horses moving, not being quarantined, vaccinated or tested for disease. As a minimum we would like people to be more proactive in vaccinating. Faced with an outbreak everyone is inclined to vaccinate and take things seriously, but it’s soon forgotten.”

Mr Rendle said owners must travel horses responsibly.

“If they have concerns about their horse, or others on their yard, having an infection they should consider the greater good and not travel their horse to a competition or other premises,” he said.

World Horse Welfare chief executive Roly Owers told H&H the more steps people take, such as avoiding sharing buckets and tack, stopping horses coming into direct contact with others at shows, taking temperatures and isolating new arrivals, the more the risk of disease is reduced.

“The risk is very real and too many are not doing enough to protect the health — and therefore welfare — of horses,” he said.

“We cannot remove the threat of infectious disease so we have to be better at incorporating simple biosecurity measures into our daily routine. And never forget to work with vets regularly to challenge the measures we take to protect horses — the threat of disease is ever-changing, so we need to change too.”

British Equestrian Federation interim CEO Iain Graham agreed riders “could do better”.

“People are not vigilant enough and if there isn’t disease obviously there, guard drops and the extra effort isn’t put in,” he told H&H.

“Riders assume when they turn up at a competition that everyone’s horses are healthy — but they don’t know that.”

Mr Graham said steps taken by governing bodies, such as six-month vaccination requirements, are to reduce the risk of disease spread and protect venues.

“For venues it’s a real concern if business relies on horses attending; if doors have to shut they have no income. They have restrictions or requirements so we can continue to compete and move horses as safely as possible,” he said.

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Insight on whether bird flu can cross species boundaries and infect equines. Peter Green MRCVS looks at the evidence.

Equine influenza and human flu evolved from bird flu in the distant past and remain quite similar.

Scientists in Kentucky wondered whether they could artificially infect horses with bird flu in the way that people can be infected.

They investigated this in 2 ways. First, they cultured cells from the tracheas of horses that had been put down for reasons other than respiratory disease. When the cultures were well established, they infected them with 18 different strains of bird flu virus to see if the viruses multiplied in the cells.

About half the viruses did indeed multiply, showing they had successfully infected the horses’ trachea cells.

The scientists then took the 3 avian virus strains that had been most virulent in the lab and gave them to unvaccinated young ponies by means of aerosol inhalation to see if the ponies would become infected. None became infected or developed flu.

This shows that although isolated cultures of horse cells became infected with bird flu, the same cells in the living horse were able to resist infection. Bird flu does not seem able to infect horses, but who knows what might happen in the future as the viruses evolve?

It is also a good example of why laboratory cultures and tests are not always an accurate guide to what happens in the real world in living animals.

Vets are faced with horses suffering from infections on a daily basis. Some of these are incredibly serious — if the infection is not rapidly resolved, the horse may die. But since the advent of antibiotics more than 50 years ago, vets have been able to treat most bacterial infections effectively and with confidence.

Almost as soon as antibiotics were developed, it became clear that their ability to work was likely to alter with the passage of time. This was due to the evolution of resistance by bacteria to the actions of the drugs.

Bacteria have an amazing ability not only to develop resistance to antibiotics, but also to transfer this resistance to different populations of bacteria. The end result is that, with time, antibiotics have become less efficient at killing bacteria. Consequently, diseases caused by bacterial infections become more difficult to treat.

While antibiotic drug resistance is not yet at crisis point among horses, but there are some specific areas of concern. The increasing diagnosis of MRSA infections in the horse, many of which occur in those that have recently undergone surgical treatments in equine hospitals, is a big worry.

MRSA — methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus — is responsible for creating potentially fatal infections in humans, but in horses it can be treatable, which is fortunate given that vets are seeing it more frequently.

Equine MRSA can be resolved with appropriate, sometimes rather aggressive, treatment. Depending where the infection is, surgical drainage and the removal of infected tissue may be carried out. The infected horses should be quarantined while the infection is active.

A study carried out in the US in 2009 found that 84% of 115 horses with MRSA infection made a full recovery.

To read more about the growing problem of resistance to antibiotics in horses, and find out what you can do to help, see p16 Horse & Hound (31 January, 2012)

Biosecurity technology currently in use by a handful of racing yards is now available to competition yards across all disciplines.

Fixed and mobile systems based on the use of specialist disinfectants for stables, lorries and horses, have been created by JJ Equine, part of a company that supplies biosecurity products to the NHS.

The company has developed a mobile system based on spraying a fine mist of disinfectant over both the horse and horsebox prior to re-entering the yard.

Trainer Barry Hills has been using the high-density misting system for four years in one of the barns on his Berkshire yard.

Head lad Kev Mooney said: “The system has made a real difference. There are 41 horses in there and it’s helped cut vets’ bills and reduce the incidence of low-grade viral infections. We are now looking at extending it to all three barns.”

And Tattersalls introduced the system prior to the April sales.

“The chance for infection transfer at events is obvious, whether it is jockeys going from horse to horse, or via horses in the collecting ring,” said Dr Chris Pearson of JJ Equine.

“Bringing back something like ringworm or strangles can have disastrous consequences.”

For yards with a large number of high-value equines, the company also offers a fixed high-density misting system and a safe air system.

“The misting system sends a spray of gel disinfectant every 15 minutes — the gel becomes a gas as it is released and this circulates throughout the stable,” said Dr Pearson.

“With the safe air system, we use a filtered air system with a hydroxyl motor, which splits air vapour in the atmosphere — no chemicals are used, just the air system and a UV bulb.”

Costs start at £100 per stable for the high-density misting and £150 per stable for the safe air system, with running costs of 25p per horse per day for the misting system.

Dr Richard Newton of the Animal Health Trust said: “The herpes virus, for example, can transmit between adjacent boxes, so anything that limits the spread of airborne disease is potentially very useful.”

For more up-to-date news, see the current issue of Horse & Hound (28 April, 2011)

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

More veterinary equine news

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We take it for granted that when our horses suffer from a bacterial infection there is a straightforward way to treat it — with antibiotics.

But new research has shown the time has come to stop being complacent. A fresh threat has arrived — antibiotic resistance following a stay in equine hospital.

Why the cause for concern?

Bacterial populations are smart. Ever since penicillin was first developed in the 1940s, they have been evolving ways to resist the attacks they receive from antibiotic treatment.

Whenever new antibiotics are developed, bacteria are susceptible to their actions to begin with but, within a few months, more of them will start to develop resistance until, eventually, the medication will be of little value.

A recent experiment conducted by Adele Williams and her team of researchers at the University of Liverpool showed why we should be taking this issue seriously.

The study proved that while kept in a home environment horses are at a relatively low risk of meeting bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics — problems start when they are hospitalised with other horses.

The effects of hospitalisation

Funded by The Horse Trust, Adele Williams’ project aimed to highlight the problem of antibiotic resistance and the effect hospitalisation of horses has on this.

Samples of droppings from horses arriving at an equine hospital were tested for the gut-borne bacteria E.coli. The same horses were tested again seven days later.

E.coli was chosen because it is present in the gut of all horses and it has the potential to cause infections in certain instances, for example in wounds. Recording how many of these bacteria were resistant to antibiotics gave a measure of the amount of bacteria associated with the horse that could be resistant to treatment at any one time.

The results of the study were conclusive: they showed that while the levels of resistance in horses admitted to the hospital were low, after seven days of hospitalisation, the levels of bacteria resistant to seven of eight common antibiotics used to treat horses increased significantly.

Furthermore, this increase occurred in every horse, no matter whether they were treated with antibiotics. It was the fact they were hospitalised that was important.

Interestingly, one of the common antibiotics used in equine veterinary practice, trimethoprim-sulpha — the most commonly prescribed antibiotic as it can be given easily in the horse feed — showed a high level of resistance in both horses when entering the hospital and also after seven days of hospitalisation.

Nearly one in three horses that were admitted to the clinic carried bacteria that were resistant to trimethoprim-sulpha, but this increased to two out of three horses after they had been in an equine hospital for a week.

For the full article on antibiotic resistance, see the current issue of Horse & Hound (18 February, ’10)

Looking for more veterinary equine news?

Find an equine vet near you

Most vets working in a specialist equine practice will encounter the occasional horse with a persistent infection. There may be an injury and/or a wound that has failed to heal and continues to discharge pus. Gradually, the condition progresses and does not appear to respond to any treatment. In cases like these the so-called “superbug” MRSA may be responsible.

The facts about MRSA?

MRSA stands for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. The bacteria Staphylococcus aureus is extremely common. It is present on the skin and frequently in the nose of most healthy humans and animals.

The bacteria become resistant to methicillin, an antibiotic developed and used for human treatment nearly 50 years ago. The strains of bacteria resistant to this particular antibiotic, could not be eradicated by other forms of antibiotic. As a result many bacteria we have to deal with in human and veterinary diseases are no longer easily controlled and eradicated by antibiotics that have been tried and tested for years.

Identifying treatment

MRSA is not a single group of bacteria. By using advanced laboratory techniques, we can group MRSA into a variety of sub-types. This typing is extremely useful to understand where the infection is coming from, plus, most importantly, how we can control it.

We know from the MRSA found in dog and cat infections that the small animal disease is very similar to that seen in human hospitals, with the carriage and transmission of the bacteria essentially the same.

While MRSA infections are resistant to many common antibiotics, they are usually sensitive to some medicines. Therefore, it is worth taking samples to identify the bacteria present and the antibiotic to which it is sensitive. We know from work done in the USA that in excess of 80% of horses with clinical MRSA make a full recovery after treatment.

From humans to horse?

The MRSA seen in human hospitals and dog and cat infections has, so far, rarely been seen in the horse. Our understanding of how MRSA is carried and potentially transmitted in the horse is growing. The type found in most UK horse infections is not a common form and is rarely the cause of human MRSA infections.

The UK bacteria appears to be rarely carried by people, and may, in fact, be a horse-adapted strain. What is not known is where those horses who end up with clinical MRSA infections managed to pick up the bacteria.

There are gaps in our knowledge, in part because the disease seems to act differently in different parts of the world. In North America, there appears to be a type of horse-specific MRSA, only rarely seen to cause human infections, but is carried (in the nose) by people who work with or handle horses.

Is my horse at risk?

Fortunately, clinical MRSA disease in the horse is rare and sporadic, and therefore not a major cause for concern. That said, it is vital that owners and vets are aware of the possibilities of such infections and treat potential cases cautiously.

Any horse with a bacterial infection that does not respond as expected to antibiotics should have samples taken to identify the possibilities of antibiotic resistance. If MRSA

is confirmed, strict hygiene precautions are essential.

Most precautions are no more than sensible nursing care, such as frequent hand washing, wearing of disposable gloves while dealing with the infected area, isolation from other horses to prevent ongoing transmission and bandaging of the infected area to prevent infected pus contaminating the environment.

While treatment can be difficult and expensive, there is no reason why the majority of such cases should not respond and return to normal function.

The future

Our knowledge of the disease is increasing all the time. What is certain is that problems with bacteria are going to become greater, and the diseases will change over the coming years. The bacteria involved have the ability to alter and adapt to different conditions and the infections are likely to change in a short time.

If we are to understand MRSA, it is vital that ongoing investigations identify how the bacteria are adapting over time. With this information, we can be best placed to tackle what is likely to be an increasing problem to vets in the future.

This veterinary feature was first published in Horse & Hound (8 February, ’07)