Equine Diseases

Strangles is one of the most common diseases diagnosed in horses worldwide, affecting any age, sex or breed. We see around 600 UK outbreaks each year.

Equine Herpes Virus (EHV) is a highly contagious airborne disease and occurs in horses worldwide. There are nine strains of EHV, but EHV-1 and EHV-4 are the most common

Equine influenza, also referred to as equine flu, is a highly contagious viral respiratory disease. The disease is present (endemic) in the UK, so it’s important to be aware of the signs and how to reduce the risk of the disease spreading

Colic is used to describe clinical signs of abdominal pain or discomfort in the horse; hence colic is technically a symptom rather than being a disease. Colic is the most common equine emergency and cause of death in horses worldwide

Laminitis is an extremely painful condition affecting 1 in 10 horses/ponies every year and can cause permanent damage to the hooves. Laminitis can affect any equine, at any time of the year and not just in spring – there is no ‘safe season’

Equine Grass Sickness (EGS) is a debilitating and frequently fatal disease, affecting grazing horses, ponies, and donkeys. However, there have been a few cases where horses with no access to grass have developed EGS where hay has been found to be the cause

Equine Cushing’s Disease, also called Pituitary Pars Intermedia Dysfunction (PPID), is a common hormonal disease

Equine Gastric Ulcer Syndrome (EGUS) is a term used to describe lesions, ulcerations and erosions to the horse’s digestive tract.

Equine Metabolic Syndrome (EMS) is a hormonal disorder similar to Type 2 diabetes in humans. Any horse or pony is at risk, although it is seen much more often in overweight animals, as obesity is the main known risk factor for EMS.

Arthritis is inflammation of a joint or joints and can cause reduced performance, pain and lameness.

West Nile Virus is not currently circulating in the UK, but with horses being transported globally and the ongoing impact of climate change, there’s a risk that outbreaks could occur in the future.

Equine Asthma (EA) is an umbrella term used to describe respiratory diseases1 previously known as Inflammatory Airway Disease (IAD), Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), Recurrent Airway Obstruction (RAO) and Heaves.

Choke is caused by an obstruction to the oesophagus, the tube which carries food from the mouth to the stomach

Mud fever is a non-contagious (which means it doesn’t spread from one horse to another, or to people) skin condition that causes irritation, soreness, matted areas of hair, and scabs that form on the horse’s lower legs.

Rain scald is a non-contagious skin condition, which can be caused by the same bacteria as mud fever.  However, scabs form in places along the horse’s neck, back and hindquarters rather than the lower legs. 

Sweet itch, also known as Summer Seasonal Recurrent Dermatitis or Equine Insect Bite Hypersensitivity, is the most common allergic skin condition in horses

There are many plants, shrubs, hedges, and trees poisonous to horses. You need to be aware of what plants are unsafe for your horse so that you can regularly check for and remove them.

Atypical Myopathy (AM), also referred to as Seasonal Pasture Myopathy (SPM), is a disease associated with horses eating sycamore seeds or seedlings

If eaten, acorns, leaves and branches from oak trees pose a risk of poisoning to horses. So, it is important to know what we can do for our horses to minimise the risk

Grass cuttings are potentially very dangerous for horses to eat, and sadly many have died as a result of people putting lawn mowings over the fence into horse pastures.

Ragwort contains toxic compounds which can be poisonous to horses if eaten in any state. Over a prolonged period of time, ragwort can damage the horse’s liver, which may eventually result in severe disease and even death