Here are some examples of other things you can do to prevent problems:
• Have an "absolutely no smoking and no alcoholic beverages" policy within 250 feet of the barn.
• Have several days' supply of feed, water, medications, etc. as needed for each horse being evacuated.
• Teach your horses to load-no matter what. At night, alone, when it is raining, windy, dark, and generally miserable.
• Find available sheltering facilities across the state or, even better, an overnight or short-term boarding facility. Have their contact information saved with all your papers.
• Expect to pay for the facilities you use. About $20 per day per animal is average.
Resources
Animal Management in Disasters, Sebastian Heath, Mosby, 1999
Disaster Preparedness for Horses, Disaster Preparedness for Livestock, and Disaster Preparedness for Animal Facilities, free brochures at www.hsus.org from the Humane Society of the United States
Take Stock of Your Situation
Think about what kind of disasters can realistically occur in your area. If you consider your own particular situation, you will be better able to form an evacuation plan that will suit you and your horses.
Many times it is not the impact of the event that causes the most damage. It can be the chaos and confusion that occur afterward. Snow falling is beautiful to most people, but if you get six feet of it and cannot get home to your animals and children, that is going to be a disaster to you.
Consider right now-how many trailer spaces do you have available? If you pack that four-horse gooseneck trailer with your four horses, where will you put your dogs, cats and human family members? Would you have to make two trips to get the other four horses you own? Where will you go? How far a drive is it? Have you made prior coordination so that when you get there the alternate facility is not closed?
Prioritize the value (actual market value or sentimental) of your animals. Make a list of who to save first. This may sound harsh, but it is practical. The 25-year-old lesson horse everyone loves may be more valuable than the 4-year-old show horse.
Which ones give you arguments about getting on the trailer or seem to colic every time they drink different water? Do you have enough hay, feed and water to get them to where they are going and be happy for about three days? Do you have a radio and CB with National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) radio capability to keep up with the progress of the storm or hazard?
You should also document a list of tasks specific to your farm that must be done (turn off the power when you leave, unplug all appliances, etc.) so that you have something to refer to when a crisis occurs. This way you won't forget anything important.
Your preparation should also include videotaping all your assets and putting that tape in your safe deposit box, as well as getting insurance (don't forget flood insurance) on the property. Back up computer records and get copies of ID, Coggins papers and photographs for each horse, and for your boarder's horses. Put those in the safe deposit box, too.
What about bad weather that doesn't require you and your horses to leave the premises? The biggest question here is whether to leave them in or leave them out.
In general, leave horses out in the largest, best built fenced pasture you have. Horses will find cover in a copse of trees if they need it, but normally will stand with their butts to the wind so that the muscles of their hindquarters will absorb any serious injury from flying debris, etc. These injuries heal very well. Horses trapped in barns are subject to the flying debris all around them and the high possibility of a building fire or collapse.
Be careful, however, in assessing bad weather versus a real disaster. If you have more than two horses on your property, they should be evacuated very early in the case of wildfires, flooding, and hurricanes because it takes a lot of manpower and space to move these animals. Consult your emergency management agencies and watch the weather channels to determine the extent of the disaster.
Do the math: If you have to move your horses 100 miles to safety and it is going to take three trips, that is 500 miles of driving to evacuate all your animals. You do not want to be stranded with your animals in the middle of a flood or blizzard and be unreachable to the outside world.
