OnFarm - Scottish rural stories

Equine Grass Sickness: Her Majesty's Balmoral losses and a push for a cure

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Episode notes

Her Majesty the Queen's Balmoral estate lost 5 Highland ponies in less than a year to Equine Grass Sickness. The disease is almost always fatal to horses, and seems to affect Scotland worse than other parts of the UK. Sylvia Ormiston, who manages Her Majesty's Balmoral stud, recalls the five losses, and describes how it prompted her to get more involved in searching for a cure. We also meet Grass Sickness fundraiser Yvonne Maclean, while Beth Wells from the Moredun Research Institute details new efforts to find a cure. For more on funding and supporting a cure for Equine Grass Sickness, please visit: www.grasssickness.org.uk

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