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Aero was born at the end of June 2009 to our mare Symphony. From the minute she was born it was obvious she was going to be very special. She was an absolute joy to us all. 

On the 9th of August 2011 my daughter noticed that she kept looking at her flanks. The vet was up at the yard anyway and she asked him to take a look at her as she thought she may have a touch of colic. He administered anti-spasmodics and pain relief and would return later in the day. Aero was very bright in herself at that point - she even had a mad hooley round the outdoor school! When the vet returned she had gone down dramatically. She was having difficulty swallowing and was unable to pass urine. After further veterinary interventions the decision was made to transfer her to the Royal Dick Veterinary Hospital in Edinburgh with a suspected torsion but Grass Sickness had been mentioned. My experience of Grass Sickness was of horses being nursed through it - they didn't all make it but there was a chance. We had watched a programme on television just a couple of weeks before about the Royal Dick nursing a horse throught this. They also showed sucessful colic surgery - she was going to be OK and would going to the right place! This is the chronic type of which the Royal Dick excel in nursing. I didn't know that there was three types, two of which are fatal. Unfortunately she was diagnosed with Sub Acute Grass Sickness, which, along with Acute Grass Sickness is fatal.  Aero was put to sleep the following morning after the hospital staff took her out to the meadow for a last graze. She was just over two years old.

This year there appears to be an increase in the number of horses and ponies affected by this dreadful disease. Funds are desperately needed to fund the vaccine trial. Just imagine being able to vaccinate against Grass Sickness in the same way that we currently do against flu and Tetanus.....