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Horses trapped by floods moved to safety
60 horses left stranded by flood water

A herd of 60 horses in Gloucester, trapped by flood water, were moved to safe ground after concerns were raised over their welfare by a group on the social networking site Twitter.

The group of horse lovers known as Friends of the Causeway Horses visited the site to care for the horses; feeding them hay, keeping them warm and giving them clean drinking water.

Nicky Turner-Sterling, one of the volunteers, said: "We're all animal lovers and didn't want to see them suffer."

The owners managed to move most of the animals to safety. The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) was also involved in the rescue; giving advice and helping the owners move the remaining six horses off the site.

Chief inspector with the RSPCA, Lee Hopgood, said: "They moved in three weeks before the floods started.

"I don't think they were particularly well briefed by the people who rented the land to them but I have said to them they should have done the research before moving 60 horses on to this farm."

The RSPCA were on hand to check the horses over. The majority were found to be okay, considering the conditions they had been living in; however, three foals which were stranded were found to be suffering from salmonella and had to be put down.


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Equine Disease Surveillance report released for Q4 2025

News Story 1
 The latest Equine Disease Surveillance report has been released, with details on equine disease from Q4 of 2025.

The report, produced by Equine Infectious Disease Surveillance, includes advice on rule changes for equine influenza vaccination.

Statistics and maps detail recent outbreaks of equine herpes virus, equine influenza, equine strangles and equine grass sickness. A series of laboratory reports provides data on virology, bacteriology, parasitology and toxicosis.

This issue also features a case study of orthoflavivus-associated neurological disease in a horse in the UK. 

Click here for more...
News Shorts
NSA webinar explores sheep tailing and castration

The National Sheep Association (NSA) is to host a free webinar on the castration and tail docking of lambs.

The webinar, 'Understanding the tailing and castration consultation: A guide for sheep farmers', will be hosted online on Monday, 2 March 2026 at 7.30pm.

It comes during a government consultation into the methods used for these procedures. Farmers are encouraged to engage before the consultation period closes on Monday, 9 March 2026.

The webinar offers clear and actionable guidance to support farmers to contribute meaningfully to the consultation and prepare for potential changes.

On the panel will be former SVS president Kate Hovers, farmer and vet Ann Van Eetvelt and SRUC professor in Animal Health and Veterinary Sciences Cathy Dwyer. Each panel member will utilise their own specialism and expertise to evaluate risks and outcomes to sheep farming.

Find out more about the webinar on the NSA website.