An illness called strangles has affected 80 Westernaire horses and ponies. The outbreak has been contained and should not cause the need for alarm.
On May 20, 80 rental horses and ponies owned by Westernaire are expected to come out of a six-week quarantine period after a form of strep called strangles affected them. The director of the Westernaires, Glen Keller, said that the outbreak is not a cause for panic and is getting under control. "We're not letting it get the best of us," he told the Castle Rock News-Press. Keller reassures that strangles is not fatal and horses typically make a full recovery; none of the 80 horses and ponies have died due to the outbreak of the illness. Strangles is a common infection that not only affects horses and ponies, but donkeys too. It's highly contagious – can spread through shared water troughs and yard equipment – and attacks the upper respiratory tract, giving the animals a fever and a "snotty nose". The facility is home to 230 horses and ponies, and Keller estimated that 58 horses and 26 ponies were affected by the illness. It's unknown of how strangles came to Westernaires, but the responded quickly and effectively as soon as the disease was made known.
The Westernaires facility, located near the Jefferson County Fairgrounds, has been around for over 68 years and, according to their website, provides "training in western riding, precision drills, and horse care." It's a non-profit organization; its main focus is to provide an alternative to suburban youth by keeping them occupied, giving them valuable life skills and, most importantly, avoiding the temptation of drugs and alcohol.
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photo courtesy of GoFundMe[/caption]
Westernaires launched a GoFundMe page in order to help with the expenses of caring for the ill horses, as they are losing about $5,000 a week that they would typically bring in by renting out the horses. You can donate to their page here.
Featured image courtesy of westernaires.org.
