08 May 2024

Ally's Story

Year of outbreak: 2015
Location: Essex
Horses infected: 1

I purchased a horse back in the December who was 2 stage vetted and tested for strangles - this was prior to Christmas and on the 27th my new horse arrived. 

I was excited for his arrival, rode him the first day and he was lethargic, I assumed from the journey. Fast forward to the next day and other liveries were concerned he wasn’t well. Vet came and confirmed it was strangles.
The mental toll it took on me and my mum was horrible - it created a divide on the yard where people didn’t believe we had paid for a test, but we had!
Our horse was on isolation away from everyone and my mum and I felt so isolated. Relationships with certain liveries were never the same after this - I sold the horse 18 months later and moved yards. The whole experience was one I never want to go through again. 

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