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Give to help the BHS and AHT wipe out Strangles
2 February 2007
The British Horse Society and the Animal Health Trust have launched a campaign throughout Britain and Ireland to raise £250,000 to eradicate Strangles - a horrible disease attacking and killing horses.
HRH The Princess Royal helped the two charities launch the campaign at the Royal Society of Medicine, London, on 1 February. Regional launches took place in the following week in Edinburgh, Cardiff, Belfast, Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds and Bristol.
BHS Chief Executive Graham Cory said: "We have a golden opportunity to stamp out this terrible disease. If the money needed for research can be raised, we are confident we can tackle this problem effectively and stem the spread of Strangles."
AHT Chief Executive Peter Webbon said: "Strangles must be beaten. We believe a solution can be found through our research programme. We urge everyone to help us and the BHS to end the suffering of horses and ponies caused by Strangles."
Members and supporters of all horse industry organisations are urged to help. You can make a donation by writing a cheque made payable to the Animal Health Trust and sending it to: Strangles Appeal, The British Horse Society, Stoneleigh Deer Park, Kenilworth, Warwickshire CV8 2XZ.
Visit the special strangles appeal website at www.strangles.org
You can donate on-line using Gift Aid
Strangles – triggered by the bacterium Streptococcus equi – is one of the equine world's most common respiratory diseases, hitting horses of all types and ages.
It spreads like wildfire in stables, striking down horses at a devastating rate. Strangles kills up to 10 percent of the horses it attacks. Many others survive but become carriers of the disease without any exterior symptoms and go on to infect other horses.
Strangles is an economic disaster for affected yards which often have to shut down for long periods. Getting rid of Strangles depends on research to improve methods of prevention and diagnosis.
Eventing legend Lucinda Green said: "The Animal Health Trust and The British Horse Society are tackling Strangles - the equestrian world must do its best to support them. Strangles is a problem we can no longer afford to ignore. Every horse owner should be aware of the threat and be prepared to join in the fight against it."
Top show jumper Nick Skelton said: "Strangles is a terrible disease that causes great distress to horses. I fully support The British Horse Society and The Animal Health Trust in their efforts to eradicate this disease."
When a horse contracts the disease, it initially loses its energy and appetite. Swelling and abscesses occur around the throat. The horse then finds it hard to breath and swallow – as if it is being strangled (hence the name Strangles). When the abscesses rupture, in some cases other horses can be infected. If the abscesses spread to other parts of the horse's body, the condition is usually fatal.