Norfolk rescue centre restarts horse rehoming scheme after disease outbreak
Horses at World Horse Welfare’s Hall Farm near Snetterton are now available for rehoming again after the charity controlled an outbreak of strangles that forced the site to shut for months
A horse rescue centre in Norfolk has restarted its rehoming scheme after being closed to visitors and stopping all equine movement due to an outbreak of strangles.
World Horse Welfare’s Hall Farm Rescue and Rehoming Centre, near Snetterton, confirmed it had successfully brought the outbreak under control and was now offering eight horses and ponies for rehoming.
The disease was first detected in February, when one of a group of rescued horses arrived carrying strangles, a highly infectious respiratory illness.
Centre Manager Sue Hodgkins said: “Due to the nature of our work, unfortunately we do sometimes see horses coming into our care with strangles. In this case, one of the ‘Trafficked 20’ – a group of horses and ponies who were rescued from being smuggled out of the country – arrived with strangles and, despite our strict protocols, it spread to other horses on the farm.”
“We took swift and robust action to manage the situation and have worked with our vets every step of the way,” she said.
The charity says all horses now ready for rehoming have completed quarantine and been tested using a gold standard method known as guttural pouch lavage. They have also received two strangles booster vaccines and moved into designated green zones, where only clear and healthy horses are kept.
World Horse Welfare’s UK Director Malcolm Morley said: “Taking in horses that need rehabilitating and rehoming those that are ready are such key aspects of our work that it’s had a huge impact not being able to do either of those things during the strangles outbreak.”
He explained: “As more and more of our horses have reached green zone status — meaning they’ve tested clear of strangles and been vaccinated — we’ve been able to restart our rehoming scheme.”
The centre remains closed to visitors for now, but staff hope to reopen in time for the school summer holidays.
Sue Hodgkins added: “It’s been a really tough time for the team but our supporters have been amazing – we’d like to say a huge thank you for their support and understanding about not being able to visit during the outbreak.”
Hall Farm’s Rehoming Coordinator Gemma Hamshaw said: “We have eight horses and ponies currently on the rehoming scheme, with six being non-ridden companions and two ponies who may be able to be worked in the future.”
“Hall Farm is currently at maximum capacity,” said Sue. “We can’t take in any more equines in need of our expert care until we make space by finding some of our horses and ponies loving homes of their own.”