Just the mention of strangles strikes fear into the heart of many horse owners, and the stigma associated with the disease can cause people to cover it up. The next World Horse Welfare Welfare Wednesday Webinar on 28 April at 7pm will look in depth at all aspects of the disease. With more knowledge, more openness and less stigma we could all work together to protect our horses and reduce the spread of this common infectious disease.
The webinar is being presented by Roxane Kirton, RSPCA’s Senior Equine Clinician with extensive experience of dealing with strangles and other infectious diseases. Roxane will be joined by Sara Jerman from World Horse Welfare’s Glenda Spooner Farm in Somerset and they will be covering the signs of strangles, what to do if you suspect a horse has strangles and how to manage horses with the illness. They will also tackle how to identify and treat horses that are strangles carriers and importantly how to minimise the risk of your horse catching the disease.
By registering for the webinar through Zoom, you will be able to take part in the various polls, ask questions during the Q and A and enjoy an interactive experience. If you are keen to be part of the conversation, then please join.
The fortnightly webinars are free to attend and, if you are unable to attend via Zoom, they can be viewed as a Facebook Live session. If you have missed any of the previous webinars – which have tackled subjects as fascinating and diverse as keeping horses fit, weight management, euthanasia, behavioural issues, biosecurity and travelling – they are all available to watch on the World Horse Welfare YouTube channel.
Join us to enjoy an informative and thought-provoking evening in the company of Roxane Kirton and Sara Jerman.
Roxane Kirton graduated as a vet from the University of Glasgow in 2005 and spent 2 years working in private practice before moving into the equine charity sector. She spent over ten years working as a Welfare Vet at Redwings Horse Sanctuary before joining the RSPCA as the Senior Equine Clinician in early 2020. In both roles, preventative health and infectious disease control have been core responsibilities and Roxane has gained a wealth of experience in managing and preventing strangles outbreaks during this time. Recently, Roxane completed a MSc in Clinical Animal Behaviour at the University of Lincoln and she has a particular interest in the relationship between equine health and problem behaviours.
Roxane grew up around horses and groomed for a competitive driving team for several seasons as well as riding and driving her own ponies. These days she only rides occasionally, although she still enjoys adventure riding holidays. These have included riding the Salkantay Inca Trail in Peru and riding with gauchos in Argentina. She is looking forward to planning her next adventure in Mongolia once international travel resumes.
Sara Jerman is Assistant Centre Manager at World Horse Welfare’s Glenda Spooner Farm in Somerset, where she has worked since 2009. A major part of Sara’s job is coordinating all the rehoming at the farm. This includes liaising with rehomers throughout the process, putting together photos and stories for the web page, and ensuring the ponies have all their paperwork ready for leaving the farm.
Sara also has her BHSAI qualification and, before moving to Somerset, she spent 20 years in Surrey as a freelance instructor, as well as teaching at riding schools and Pony Club. Sara is also a qualified human holistic massage therapist and an equine Shiatsu practitioner. To relax, Sara enjoys yoga, something that she finds indispensable in coping with all the aches and pains of getting older, especially in the winter months when she spends endless days in the pouring rain!
