A British charity which has provided refuge for horses in need for more than 40 years has temporarily closed its doors because of an influenza outbreak.
Bransby Home of Rest for Horses is not accepting visitors at present and has been forced to cancel its June fundraising open day because of the outbreak.
The Lincoln-based charity is home for 271 horses. Horse and Hound magazine reports that 80 per cent of the charity's animals have been infected.
The Animal Health Trust said genetic characterisation of two isolates obtained from one affected horse showed the virus belonged to Florida sublineage clade 2 of the American lineage of H3N8 equine influenza virus.
The home said the decision to temporarily close its doors was made after advice from veterinary experts.
Its equine welfare manager, Sally Howard, said the charity was devastated by the outbreak, which will have serious consequences for the charity and the horses under its care, especially over the next couple of months.
"Staff are always extremely careful to ensure all animals that are received by the charity are put into quarantine for at least four weeks and then thoroughly tested before being allowed to mix with the herd.
"The source of this infection is not yet known but we will try to discover and eliminate it.
"Vaccines are available but the ongoing cost of protecting 271 horses would add significantly to the already high costs of maintaining the herd.
"However we will do all we can to contain the disease and to relieve the suffering of those affected.
"In order to help achieve this, unfortunately, we are sorry that we must restrict areas open to visitors."
Bransby has been rescuing and caring for horses, ponies, donkeys and mules for over 40 years. In that time more than 1000 horses, ponies and donkeys have benefited from its care.
It was founded by Peter Hunt in 1968.
He rescued his first horse in 1947. The four-year-old mare named Sally was being kept on a bombsite in South London.
Broken in at 18 months, she used to pull logs. She was found tearing around a yard with a tyre around her neck, after the furniture van she was kept in had overturned in a storm.
Hunt rescued her for £14 and rented a stable for her for two shillings and sixpence a week.
When Hunt moved to Bransby to start the charity, Sally came with him.
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