|
| |
Preparing for disaster
 | FOOD
Since a horse's digestive system is very delicate, you should keep the
horse on the same diet it is accustomed to during a disaster.
 | Always have a reserve supply of the type of
food or special feed your horse is used to eating that would last at least
one week; |
| Store feed in an airtight, water proof container; |
| Rotate feed at least once every three months; |
| Extra feeding bucket, just in case the one normally used is lost.
|
|
| WATER
When the water supply is disrupted during a disaster, it can become a real
challenge getting enough water to give to a horse, and dehydration can become
a major problem for a horse, especially when it is stressed.
| Have enough drinking water to last at least
one week for each horse - 50 gallon barrels are good for this; |
| Store water in a cool, dark location, and be sure to rotate it so it remains fresh; |
| If the tap water is not suitable for humans to drink, it is also not suitable for animals to drink; |
| Extra water bucket, just in case the one normally used is lost.
|
|
| SANITATION
Maintaining a clean environment for horses during a disaster will minimize
the threat of disease.
| Keep at least a one week supply of shavings to be spread out in the horse's stall.
|
|
| IDENTIFICATION
It is important to have some type of identification on your horse during a
disaster which would include such forms of identification as micro chipping, tattoos or freeze branding.
If your horse is not permanently identified, there are some options for temporary identification, which include:
| Using a livestock crayon and write your name, phone number, and address on the horse; |
| Using clippers to shave your name, address, and phone number in the horse's coat; |
| Braiding into the horse's mane an identification tag with your name, address, and phone number on it; |
| Have a spare identification tag with your disaster supplies that you can
write on, so that if you are going to be living somewhere temporarily you
can put the phone number and address of that location on the tag and braid
it into the horse's mane.
|
|
| MEDICATIONS
| If your horse is on long term medication,
always have on hand at least a (2) week supply, since your vet may not be
able to refill a prescription for awhile; |
| Check with your veterinarian, preferably a
mobile veterinarian, to see if he/she has a disaster plan - if not, find a
veterinarian in your area who does so that you can get medical care for your
horse should it get injured during a disaster; |
| Keep your horse's medical records, including
records of vaccinations, with your disaster supplies; |
| It is important to keep your horse
up-to-date on vaccinations, especially tetanus as the risk of getting cut
during a disaster greatly increases; |
| Keep with your disaster supplies a
copy of your horse's current Coggins certificate.
|
|
| SUPPLEMENTS
| Always have a reserve supply of all supplements your horse normally gets.
|
|
| FIRST AID KIT
Check with your veterinarian to find out what he/she recommends you include in your first aid kit. Some suggested
items include: cotton and cotton rolls, disposable surgical gloves, vet wraps,
duct tape, telfa pads, Betadine, instant cold packs, easy boot, diapers,
Furazone, scissors, Blue Lotion, and tweezers.
|
| DISASTER DOCUMENT KIT
Prepare a document kit, watertight, and place it where it can be easily
located by others in the event you are not present (tack room, feed room). This kit should have the
following:
| A copy of the current Coggins; |
| A copy of an up to date Equine Information Sheet (if you don't have such
a form, you can download one here); |
| A copy of any document that can help you prove ownership of the horse; |
| A list with phone numbers of:
 | You; |
| An emergency contact; |
| Your veterinarian; |
| Your farrier.
|
|
|
| EVACUATING YOUR HORSE
In case you have to evacuate your horse, you should have a horse trailer and a
truck that can safely pull it, but be sure to maintain the trailer so that it
is safe to pull - a safety check includes looking at:
| the floor of the trailer; |
| the trailer hitch; |
| the tires; |
| the lights; |
If you do not have a trailer or enough trailer
space for the number of horses that you have, then work out ahead of time
other arrangements for transporting your horse(s).
|
| TEMPORARY HOUSING FOR HORSES
If you have to evacuate your horse, you may not have a barn with stalls to
take it to, so in that case, you should have rope in your disaster supplies to
use to tie out your horse (you must train your horse to tether before you have
to do this in a disaster though.) In with your disaster supplies you should
have a halter and lead rope for each of your horses and it is best to have
leather halters and cotton lead ropes and not nylon, so that in the event of a
fire they will not melt.
With horses and other large animals, it is
especially important to make arrangements ahead of time as to where they can
be sheltered if you need to evacuate them. Some suggestions for temporary
housing include equine centers, boarding stables, racetracks, and fairgrounds.
It is a good idea to have a community evacuation plan if there are lots of
horses in the area where you live. Setting up a "buddy" system can help to
save the life of your horse too.
Be sure to give the temporary caretaker a copy of the horse's
information sheet.
It takes time to move larger animals, so allow
plenty of time to get them to safety. Do not wait until the last minute. If
you have a horse that is not accustomed to being in a trailer, practice
loading and unloading with the horse. During the emergency is not the time to
convince a horse who has never been in a trailer to go inside one.
|
|
