Rehoming restarts after strangles outbreak at Hall Farm

Our Hall Farm Rescue and Rehoming Centre, near Snetterton, has restarted its rehoming scheme after being paused for months following an outbreak of strangles, a highly infectious respiratory disease of horses. A new arrival tested positive for the disease in February, which led to all equine movements being stopped and the farm closing to visitors. Now, however, the outbreak has been successfully controlled and the team are delighted to offer some of the horses and ponies at Hall Farm up for rehoming once more – although would-be visitors will have to wait a little while longer before returning to the farm.

Hall Farm 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.

“With the outbreak well and truly under control, we’re delighted to be able to start finding new homes for our horses again. Hall Farm is currently at maximum capacity, so 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. I’d urge anyone looking for a horse to consider rehoming – by doing so, you’re not only offering that horse or pony a second chance in life, but also making space for another one in need to come into our care.”

Our Director of UK 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. With our horses being very carefully managed and separate teams caring for horses with different infection statuses, our paddocks have been designated as red, amber, or green zones. 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. Every horse and pony now available for rehoming at Hall Farm has been screened using the gold standard test (guttural pouch lavage), completed a two-dose strangles booster vaccination course, and spent a quarantine period in a green zone paddock.”

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. Crumble and Petal, both aged two, have the potential to make brilliant children’s ponies when old enough. The others range in age from five-year-old Captain Tom to 22-year-old Dolly, who will make a wonderful companion to another pony who needs to watch their waistline. We’d love to hear from anyone who thinks they could offer one of our horses and ponies the perfect home.”

Centre Manager 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. Whilst we’re able to restart rehoming now, we’re not opening our doors to visitors just yet. All being well, we’re hoping to be open to visitors again for the school summer holidays – anyone wanting an update can keep an eye on our news pages or our Facebook page.”

The first eight horses and ponies from Hall Farm ready to rehome are:

• Finley – a very friendly, sensible 15.2hh seven-year-old gelding who’s looking for a home as a companion.
• Captain Tom – a striking 14.1hh five-year-old roan gelding who will make the perfect pal for another playful pony.
• Nelson – a friendly 15.2hh six-year-old gelding who loves a fuss and will make a great companion to others.
• Max – a handsome 16.2hh eight-year-old gelding who will make a perfect pal for another larger horse.
• Dolly – a gentle 14.2hh 22-year-old mare who’s a brilliant companion for a horse or pony who needs a laidback friend.
• Tagovailoa (Finley to his friends) – a genuine 15.2hh eight-year-old gelding who has the potential to be left on his own for short periods of time, so would be a perfect companion to a ridden horse.
• Crumble – a loveable 11.3hh three-year-old gelding who may have the potential to become a children’s pony in the future when old enough.
• Petal – a bright 11.2hh two-year-old pony who could make a wonderful lead rein pony when she’s old enough.

Anyone interested in rehoming from Hall Farm can find out more and apply here.