Flatholm & Derwen Equestrian

STRANGLES SURVEILLANCE

📢 Just sharing this to help make sure everyone knows about it.

Please share so more owners know this surveillance system exists……it only becomes more valuable when suspected cases are investigated and confirmed appropriately.

The UK has a Surveillance of Equine Strangles (SES) network, run through the Equine Infectious Disease Surveillance (EIDS) programme at the University of Cambridge. Rather than relying on rumours or social media posts, it collates laboratory-confirmed cases of strangles submitted by participating UK diagnostic laboratories. This allows disease trends and affected areas to be monitored and helps improve our understanding of how strangles is spreading.

If your horse is suspected of having strangles, horse owners don’t report cases directly. Your veterinary surgeon will examine your horse, arrange appropriate testing if indicated, and samples sent to participating laboratories contribute to the national surveillance programme when Streptococcus equi is confirmed. Veterinary practices can also submit outbreak information to EIDS to help build a clearer national picture of infectious disease.

The latest published figures show:
• 270 laboratory-confirmed cases in 2024
• 477 laboratory-confirmed cases in 2025 (a 77% increase).

It’s worth remembering that these figures represent laboratory-confirmed cases only. Not every horse with suspected strangles is tested, so the true number of cases may be higher.

You can view the UK surveillance information, disease maps and reports here:
🔹 https://equinesurveillance.org/ses/
🔹 https://www.equinesurveillance.org/

The more horses that are appropriately tested and recorded, the better we can understand where strangles is occurring and improve disease control. Good biosecurity, isolating new arrivals, prompt veterinary assessment of suspected cases and appropriate testing all play an important part in reducing the spread of this disease.

Sources:
• Equine Infectious Disease Surveillance (EIDS): https://www.equinesurveillance.org/
• Surveillance of Equine Strangles (SES): https://equinesurveillance.org/ses/

Improved Permissive route 🙂

Cwm George and Case Hill Woods - Close to Dinas Powys - owned and managed by the Woodland Trust https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/visiting-woods/woods/cwm-george-casehill-woods/
Since our last update in December the Great Glamorgan Way team Miriam and James https://greatglamorganway.co.uk/en_gb/have procured and appointed contractors to carry out repair work on the permissive bridleway.
The work required to dig out the landslide and relay a path costing £20k. The majority of this is being funded by GGW, with contributions from the Woodland Trust and SAFE ( Safety and Facilities for Equestrians) https://safe.random3d.co.uk/ with an application to the BHS Ride Out Fund - Granted 🏇
https://www.bhs.org.uk/about-us/our-access-work/ride-out-fund/

The work has now been completed with a big shout out to the Woodland Trust for providing a safe and beautiful environment in which to ride 🏇A successful collaboration achieved by all 🙂

2 stables available!

💛🐴 EIDS is proud to be a Strangles Awareness Week collaborator to help share the BEST steps that can stop the spread of disease. Strangles can happen to anyone but being proactive really does protect horses, owners and yards from the misery of an outbreak.

🔹This year EIDS' Dr Abbi McGlennon and Dr Richard Newton are both getting involved - Abbi will be answering the top questions for all things strangles throughout the week and Richard is a speaker for a special SAW webinar on 5th May which will explore how strangles compares to West Nile Virus, a disease that is moving closer to the UK with our warming climate

Sign up to the webinar here https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/strangles-and-west-nile-virus-webinar-tickets-1985080309643 👀

Rider’s video for HGV drivers brings grown men to tears in attempt to keep horses and people safer on our roads. Read more below