Aussie Horse Hero Who Sheltered Pasturemates from Fire Nominated for Bravery Award

by Fran Jurga | 18 September 2009 | The Jurga Report at Equisearch.com

Retired Australian police drum horse Paddy with his officer/owner.

Maybe you'd better grab a tissue before you read this post.

A retired police horse from Australia named Paddy has been nominated for the RSPCA's Purple Cross award, which is given to animals who exhibit behavior that we humans would interpret as "courage".

I hope you will follow the link to the story and read it in its entirety, but this is it in a nutshell: a retired 19-year-old Clydesdale police horse is out in the paddock as the horrific "Black Saturday" wildfires threaten his owner's property in the state of Victoria.

The owner, a policeman, is busy hosing down his house. Paddy, meanwhile, rounds up the sheep and goats in the paddock (which in Australia is what we'd call a pasture and can be many acres), and shelters them from the fire and heat under his huge frame.

Every once in a while, the owner comes down to the paddock and hoses Paddy down and makes sure he is all right. He said afterwards that Paddy never moved despite the embers falling from the sky and the wind roaring up the valley.

When the small animals try to go astray, Paddy rounds them up and nudges them back under the shelter of his huge body.

And so the fires passed.

In his owner's words: "He stood there and did what I asked him. If you can have that sort of communication, all the big parades and the big accolades we've had as gendarme can't compare to that because that was when the chips were really down. I asked him to do something and he said, righto, I'll do that. And that's what he did."

So Paddy was nominated for the RSPCA's prestigious award.

Sadly, news reports from Australia today tell us that Paddy stumbled and fell on Tuesday while out for a hack and was euthanized.

Please click here to read the moving story about Paddy, which was written before his untimely death.

The Purple Cross originated with the Purple Cross Society, which was formed to support the horses of Australia's famed Light Horse Brigade. If you are interested in horse history, there is no better reading than the exploits of this brave crew of horsemen, particularly during their Middle Eastern campaign during World War I, including the battles at Beersheeba and Gallipoli. Their story is marred by tragic suffering and loss and decorated with gallantry and superior horsemanship.

Also of historic interest: Paddy served as a ceremonial drum horse with the Victoria Police in Melbourne. The use of mounted police in that city dates back to 1836, making it even older than the late, great Boston mounted police in the USA, which was recently shuttered by city budget cuts so that Ted Kennedy's funeral had no horse escorts.

Safety Video: Is Your Horse Trailer Ready for Fire/Hurricane/Flood Evacuation Use?

by Fran Jurga | 11 July 2009 | The Jurga Report



No one wants to think about it, but it's that time of year. Forest fires, hurricanes and floods are sure to be in the news again this year, but maybe if everyone is prepared, the worst will never happen.

Brett Scott PhD, Assistant Professor of Animal Science and Extension Horse Specialist at Texas A&M University talked to a video camera recently and provided a laundry list of tips for horse owners who should be preparing their plans now for how to evacuate their animals if the need arises.

Who can forget those horrible scenes of traffic jams and closed gas stations back in the days of Hurricane Gustave? It was so hot, and many horses were stuck in trailers pulled by trucks going nowhere. And when they got somewhere...there was no power.

Sure, this is all common sense. Sure, we all already know this stuff. But look around. Imagine that today's the day. If you had to load up and hit the road with your horses because a wildfire was approaching or a nuclear power plant melted down, could you do it?

How would you do it? Walk yourself through the steps. Now ask yourself what would happen if you were away for the weekend. Could a stranger or a neighbor or a rescue agency worker come to your barn and get your horses to safety. Could they find the equipment and identification information and medications your horses would need?

Writing phone numbers on a blackboard is not enough. Make a binder. Take pictures of all the horses and identify them with name, age, medical conditions and behavior idiosyncracies. Write down all the possible information you can think of for people to contact.

Then get to work on that trailer. And maybe get to know your neighbors, just in case.

Thanks to extension.org for hosting this video.

Make-Yourself-Watch-It Video: Veterinary Heroes of Australia's "Black Saturday" Bush Fires

by Fran Jurga | 7 April 2009 | The Jurga Report

The last time I checked,we're in a lull between disasters here in the United States, except possibly for the Alaskan volcano causing a lot of respiratory sensitivity in horses. Hopefully, not too many horses were affected by the earthquake in Italy.

But if I log onto Twitter, I'm sure to find that something has gone wrong somewhere.

I have hoarded these two videos from Australia, and waited to post them now because we all know that the spring fire season and the winds will be starting soon, and it's good to have some sobering reminders of how bad things can get.

But on another level, veterinarians have been taking a bashing lately on many fronts.(Have you read the blog "badvetsdaily.com"? Now there's someone with an ax to grind!) There's nothing like a disaster to bring out the good vets...or maybe it's to bring the good out in every vet.





Meet Australia's Drs. John Butler, who lost his house to the fire, but not his will to help animals, and Judith Mulholland, who drove from afar to help out however she can during the crisis.



Dr. Jude made this mini-documentary soon after the February 22nd disastrous wildfire ripped through a once horse-happy suburb of Melbourne. Click here to visit her terrific website.



Finally, here's a horse owner re-united with what looks like an Arabian stallion in pretty good shape. The owner seems somewhat in shock still that her horse is in such good shape, while so many others are dead. She is a very lucky woman.

For Australia to have suffered the terrible insult of the equine influenza epidemic last year that shut down racing and showing and breeding, as well as a terrible drought and now to have this disaster to overcome, is quite a burden.

The economy is not any better there than it is here, but the people have surely shown us what strength of spirit and love for animals is all about.

Six Horses Burn to Death in Trailer Fire Sparked by Tire Blowout

There's a lot to be said for those truck cab video monitors.

Someone just sent me a very disturbing news story from California. It seems a truck was hauling a trailer with six horses in it, heading north from a horse show toward home in Oregon. The trailer blew a tire, but the driver didn't realize it. He drove for several miles before other motorists convinced him to stop because his tire was smoking...and the trailer was on fire. He finally pulled into a gas station, and the fire trucks came. All six horses died. Amazingly, the truck was not damaged.

The burning trailer also sparked several grass fires along the Interstate.

Click here to read the complete story from the Modesto Bee newspaper.

And please, check your tires every time you use your trailer. And look in the rear view mirror once in a while.

Where I'm Glad I'm Not Tonight: Santa Cruz, California

there was a storm the other night, originally uploaded by DESERT SE7EN.

Is Big Sur burning? Santa Cruz is. Wildfires are blasting through canyons in Northern California, fouling the air breathed by humans and horses and putting many horses in the direct path of danger.

More than 500 horses have been evacuated from the uber-hip hill town of Santa Cruz, south of San Francisco, according to a report in San Jose's Mercury News.

Horses of every breed, type, and size have been led, ridden and hauled down from the hills. The newspaper reports estimates that nine horses died in the fires. More than 200 were moved in the past few days and were bedded down at a county fairground. They've been allowed to return home now.

They are safe, for now. They are the lucky ones.

Thanks to Desert Se7en for the blog photo.

Severe Weather Tips for Horse Owners

I can't believe the news this weekend. In fact, I can't remember a time when weather-related tragedies have been so consistently in the news. My heart goes out to everyone in Iowa's floods and California's fires. I know there are horses in these places, and I hope everyone was prepared, although it sounds like the people in Iowa had no way of knowing the danger they were in.

So, it could happen to any of us, anytime.

After the recent tornado in Windsor, Colorado, veterinarians at Colorado State University compiled a list of simple hints and advice for horse owners in the event of a serious weather event or natural disaster in which horses are injured:

- Right now, not during an emergency, make contact with neighbors and be sure everyone has multiple halters, leads, ropes and first-aid kits on hand.

- First-aid kits should be stocked with bandage materials to treat lacerations and stop any bleeding while waiting for veterinarians to arrive.

- Have pain medications on hand such as Phenylbutazone (bute) or Banamine.

- Make sure horses are current on their vaccines, especially tetanus.

- If your horse is injured, call your local veterinarian to evaluate your horse and treat him on the farm if possible.

- If a wound or wounds are bleeding excessively, a wound is over a joint, a horse will not bear weight on one of its limbs, or the horse is showing signs of severe lameness, the horse may need to be hospitalized for treatment.

- Shock and dehydration is another concern during emergencies. Horses that are shaking or that are severely dehydrated may need IV fluids and hospitalization.

To that list, I would recommend buying a couple of good first-aid books...and reading them. (First aid for horses AND first aid for humans!) Also check with your local fire department for any recommendations that they have for evacuation routes or protocols for heavy snow, fires, bridge closures, etc. that might affect how you can transport your animals to a vet clinic or to a safe haven if needed.

It goes without saying that horses need to be schooled so they will load and unload quickly and quietly, whether by you or a stranger. Don't put that training off, even if you don't own a trailer.

Plan now. Just look at the news any night. It could be your horse running down the road away from a fire, or your horse swimming in the floods. Don't let that happen, if you possibly can!