24 April 2025

Redwings Indigo lends a helping hoof to SAW 2025

Redwings Indigo, one of our rehomed horses, has been lending a helping hoof to the Strangles Awareness Week (SAW) 2025 campaign. He has received the primary course of his vaccination against Strangles and, with a little help from Guardian Ellen, helped the SAW campaign produce a vlog to help share their experience with other horse owners.

Indigo arrived at Redwings in September 2018 with eight others, as part of a RSPCA case. The property on which the horses lived had once been a successful stud, but after concerns about the declining welfare of the horses, several welfare organisations came together to help reduce the number of horses and improve conditions.

Hackney cross Indigo was rehomed in 2022, as an unbacked project, to Guardians Ellen and Katie, and now lives in a small herd with their two other horses, Louie and Maisie.

Is Indigo at risk from Strangles?

Indigo is now working under saddle, and Ellen aims to get him out competing dressage this summer, which was one of the reasons Ellen was interested in getting him vaccinated against Strangles.

Strangles is an infectious disease, spread by direct contact with an infected horse, or indirect contact such as shared surfaces, equipment, water sources and handlers. This is why shows and competitions, where lots of horses and their owners mix, can be a risky environment for the spread of infectious disease.

Watch Indigo and Ellen's vlog here

Indigo’s vaccination

Indigo had his first vaccination in March this year, and Guardian Ellen and some of the SAW team documented the process to encourage other horse owners to consider the vaccine and help answer any questions they may have.

Indigo’s Guardian Ellen said: “For anyone wondering whether to get their horse vaccinated for Strangles, my advice would be to do it! With Indigo progressing to more regular competition work I wanted to do the best I could to support his health and minimise the risks that come with frequent travel and going “offsite”.

“I have always been a little wary about vaccines but after having an in-depth chat with a few vets and doing my own research I felt the vaccine was the right fit for our situation - and low risk for him. The week after he had his first vaccination there was a big Strangles outbreak within an hour’s drive of our yard and the relief I felt, knowing that when he is fully vaccinated he will be at a lower risk of experiencing Strangles symptoms, told me instantly I had done the right thing!"

The film highlights what happened at the appointment, Ellen’s chat with a vet around the reasons for the vaccine and the need for boosters, and even how Indigo was after the vaccine five and 24 hours later. You can see in the film that after this first vaccine Indigo did not show much of a reaction, just a very small amount of swelling and a little heat around the vaccine site.

The Strangles vaccine helps protect Indigo when he is in environments such as shows.

Indigo’s second vaccine

Indigo then had the second vaccine of the primary course at the end of March, which he had a more severe reaction to.

Ellen told us: “I found him in the field unable to lower his head below his chest, and reluctant to move very much. His neck was hot on the side he had his vaccination, but I had had a chat with the vet about possible side effects so knew not to panic.”

Indigo had heat in his neck for around four days after the vaccine. Thanks to careful management such as raised feeding in the stable and haynets hung in the field, combined with some pain relief to help him feel more comfortable, Indigo was soon feeling much more himself.

Indigo’s side effects were more severe than many horses will experience, and Ellen said: “Although Indigo had the side effects, even the more significant ones he experienced after his second vaccination, they haven’t put me off the vaccination. Although no horse owner ever wants to see their horse looking sore, compared to the suffering he would have faced if he was infected with Strangles it is a small price to pay. It also has the potential to spare Katie and I the effort, cost and worry that we have seen others go through when caught up in a Strangles outbreak, along with the weeks of being unable to ride or move any of our horses. On balance, I’m so pleased we have this protection as we look forward to the summer ahead.”

The Strangles vaccine now available in the UK was launched in 2022. It took more than 20 years to develop, and data indicates that vaccination offers a good level of safety and effectiveness. Vaccinated horses either do not develop signs of Strangles following exposure to the disease, or experience milder and more short-lived effects.

Strangles Awareness Week

Strangles Awareness Week takes place in the first week of May each year and is a collaborative campaign that has achieved international recognition and support. The campaign aims to bring people together to help protect horses from Strangles by using practical steps to stop the spread, but also to raise awareness and reduce stigma of the most commonly diagnosed equine infectious disease.

In 2025, the collaboration is sharing how you can give your horse the BEST protection from Strangles (graphic above).

Indigo’s vaccination vlog is helping spread the word about how we can Boost horses’ immunity, and you can help us spread the word (and not the disease!) too! Find out how you can get involved in the week, and become a Strangles Awareness Week Ambassador here.