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.

New Year's Resolution: Update Your Disaster Plan for Pets and Horses (and Yourself); Watch AVMA Video Tips

I hope that Mother Nature's resolution for the new year is to have a quiet, peaceful year without hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, blizzards, ice storms, tidal waves, earthquakes or wildfires but just in case, take a few minutes to watch this helpful new video featuring Dr. Heather Case, Coordinator for Emergency Preparedness with the American Veterinary Medical Association.

Dr. Case reviews common sense steps to take to have your pets and horses ready to evacuate in the event of a disaster. There are sure to be specific aspects for your geographic area or the type of pets you own but the dawn of a new year is a great time to go over your basic plans and inventory your contacts and supplies.

Don't forget your own health, as well as your pets. The first of the year is a great time to take 15 minutes (that's all it takes, honest) to fill out a Google Health Profile. This profile lives online and can contain just simple information like your doctors and family contacts in the event of an emergency, or you can list allergies, or vaccinations, or medications and dosages. If you are away from home and become ill or injured, this data could be of supreme value to hospitals providing your care. This is a no-brainer for trail/endurance riders and eventers, but valid for anyone working around horses.

What will those clever people at Google think of next? My Blue Cross Blue Shield newsletter recently advised me to set up a Google Health Profile, so this system is widely recognized for its value. You can fill in as much or as little information as you wish.

Another new year's task that will start your year on the right hoof is to book your routine health appointments now: your annual physical, your dental xrays and cleaning, eye exam, your mammogram and gyn exam (if you're a woman), and (especially) those Big Tests like bone density and colonoscopy, if you are due to need one. Don't put off your routine health until the middle of riding and travel seasons, get those appointments onto your calendar now! You'll also be able to book your best time of the day if you have a few months to spare.

Check on your tetanus booster status; anyone working outdoors or around animals needs to stay up to date on that one! I think a skin cancer screening is a good investment, too.

And, while you're at it, go shovel out that horse trailer, if you live in a snowy zone, and make sure that you can open all the ramps and doors. No, you can't run away from an ice storm or blizzard, but if you have a sick or injured horse that needs to get to the hospital this winter, your trailer must be ready to roll! (Check the tire pressure, too!)

Taking care of things sooner instead of later will give you more time to enjoy with your animals, and who doesn't want that? Your animals need to have their plans in order, and if something goes wrong, they need you to be healthy and able to care for them!