Strangles, a highly contagious respiratory disease that mainly affects horses, ponies and donkeys, has recently been detected in a large, commercially-run stable yard in the island.

The yard in question has gone into ‘lockdown’ and the owner has issued a statement on social media advising that all lessons have been cancelled for the foreseeable future.

The wider impact is that all equine-related activity in the Isle of Man is now under scrutiny, with competitions cancelled and minimal contact between livery yards, in an effort to contain the spread of the disease.

Anyone involved with the husbandry and care of horses, from farriers to vets, now needs to employ enhanced bio-security measures (changing clothing and footwear between yards, using disposable gloves, disinfecting equipment etc) which are time-consuming to say the least.

What is strangles? It’s caused by a bacteria called ‘streptococcus equi’ and is so-called because the animal’s airway can become restricted by swollen lymph nodes.

It isn’t an air-borne disease and is spread by direct contact – horse-to-horse, on clothing or on equipment – and it can survive in water for up to six weeks.

It can be fatal, especially in very young or old horses, and its scary name is well deserved, but 98 per cent of afflicted animals recover fully in four to six weeks.

Typical signs of strangles are a raised temperature, discharge from the horse’s nostrils and the formation of abscesses, causing the animal discomfort and potentially affecting their ability to eat and drink.

The disease is usually treated by simply providing the infected horse with good husbandry, but before it can be classed as strangles free it needs to be tested by a vet using a nasal swab.

So, strangles is unpleasant for horses but it can also be financially and emotionally challenging for owners.

The Isle of Man endeavours to be strangles free but the disease is not a notifiable one like, say, bovine tuberculosis, and so its control is dependent on the goodwill and vigilance of horse owners and livery yards.

It’s not known where this latest occurrence originated from, but it’s most likely to have been brought to the Island by a horse travelling here from the UK.

Good bio-security and keeping horses in quarantine for at least two weeks when they have travelled from the UK or further afield can mitigate the risk of strangles spreading, but some horses are a-symptomatic and some don’t show symptoms of the disease for up to 21 days.

So, it’s almost inevitable that there will be strangles outbreaks from time to time. Let’s hope that this latest occurrence has been caught in good time, and that the horse world can get back to normal in a few weeks.

Although strangles is predominantly a horse disease it can spread to dogs, and so dog owners should be extra cautious if they walk their pets near horses or where horses regularly exercise (our beaches or the railway lines, for example) or if their dogs meet other dogs that live with horses.

The symptoms are similar in dogs in that they develop a high temperature, nasal discharge, swollen lymph nodes, and a loss of appetite.

It’s also worth noting that strangles is a zoonotic disease which means that it can spread to humans, although such transmissions are rare and most commonly occur in immunocompromised individuals.

So, if you come across a friendly horse coming to meet you at a gate whilst you’re out on a walk, don’t be tempted to pat or stroke it – say hello from a distance.

And please never be tempted to feed someone else’s horse even if you happen to be carrying an apple in your pocket.

The horse may have an underlying health condition that necessitates a strict diet, or it may have allergies to certain foods.