Equine Emergency Preparedness

If you've ever been in an area affected by a powerful storm or rapidly spreading fire, you are probably familiar with the knot in your stomach that forms as you worry about your beloved horse. When disaster strikes, the last thing you want to have to do is scramble to ensure your horse has somewhere to go. The ability to remain calm is critical in emergencies, especially when horses are involved. Panic greatly increases the risk of injury during an emergency for horses and humans alike. By being prepared in case of a natural emergency, you can lessen the time it takes to get your horse to safety. Whether you need to get out fast or hunker down, our experts at RW have put together the following tips on how to prepare for different natural emergencies!

Preparing for any type of emergency is a frightening task, but having a plan in place gives both horses and humans confidence to act swiftly and calmly if the need arises. There are two major forms of emergency action plans every horse owner and barn manager should have in place: an evacuation plan and a shelter-in-place plan. Different natural events will call for different courses of action. Below is a list of the typical action plans used in certain natural emergencies. It's always a good idea to go over action plans with your barn management or trainer beforehand; many will already have a plan built out for you to follow along with. No matter the emergency, always follow the advice of your local government. If local officials recommend evacuating an area, load up and get on the road.

No matter what part of the world you might live in, every horse owner should have an emergency go kit at all times. You'll want to store it wherever it will be most accessible to grab quickly and safely. Here are the main items every equestrian should have in their kit:

Compiling critical information can be as simple as a folder with copies of basic details someone else would need to safely care for your horse if you were not present. This file should also contain document copies that prove ownership, vaccinations, and Coggins testing to ensure you can safely navigate to a new area or reunite with your horse without trouble if someone else rescues or transports your horse. The best practice is to have multiple copies of this file on hand that live in multiple locations, for example: horse travel kit, trailer, with trainer, personal vehicle, and personal go bag. This file should include the following information:

Emergencies that require sheltering in place, or "hunkering down," tend to be the most common day-to-day hazards that horse owners face. Severe thunderstorms, tornadoes, lower-category hurricanes, and snow storms are some of the natural hazards that can require a shelter-in-place approach. How this looks for each individual is going to depend on the natural topography around your barn or pasture and the structure of your barn itself if you have one. Discussions with barn owners, managers, and fellow barn mates can be some of the best ways to build your plans.

Tornadoes and Supercells

When it comes to tornadoes, there's some debate over whether in or out is the safest choice for your horse. A great number of individual factors affect that decision. Is the barn constructed to withstand destructive winds? How much space do the horses have in their field to move to a low point? What hazards are close to the barn? Sometimes, there isn't a perfect choice between the two; whichever has the lowest obvious risks is usually the better option. Though we can't tell you which choice will be best for your horse, we can recommend taking the time to survey the barn area and going with the choice that feels right to you. No matter what option you choose, attach some form of identification to your horse if the barn or fencing is destroyed. This can be in the form of an I.C.E. clip, Airtag-type GPS tracker, livestock marker, or even a breakaway halter or bell boot with your phone number written on it.

Severe Thunderstorms

Severe thunderstorms are slightly more clear-cut than true tornado-producing storm systems. The biggest danger in a thunderstorm is lightning. Lightning kills a large number of horses per year, so ensuring your horse has shelter from it is essential. For horses with a stall, simply having them inside is the safest choice. Rubber floor mats can provide some protection from close ground strikes. For pasture horses, is it difficult to protect them. Horses will gather under trees for rain cover, which is dangerous in a lightning storm. Being housed in large fields with more dense wooded sections (instead of sparse trees) or low valley areas can give them places to go where lightning is less likely to strike directly.

Low-Category Hurricanes

Lower-category hurricanes typically do not require evacuations, but rather a hunker-down plan. It is still recommended to have all of the items from the above emergency list on hand. This is to ensure you have what you need to care for your horse if roadways become temporarily impassible. It is always recommended to attach identification to your horse in case the barn or fence is destroyed and horses get loose. This can be in the form of an I.C.E. clip, Airtag-type GPS tracker, livestock marker, or even a breakaway halter or bell boot with your phone number written on it. If the local authorities issue an evacuation order, even with a lower-category storm, always follow their guidance and hit the road. Local factors can make certain areas dangerous even with low-category storms.

Snow Storms

Snow storms can be quite hard to prepare for as the length of time that one might be "trapped" is very unpredictable. The most important part of snow storm prep is ensuring you have enough food, medication, bedding, critical care supplies, and access to drinkable water. Pastured horses (particularly senior and young) may need access to temporary shelter, depending on the severity of the predicted conditions. Water tends to be the biggest challenge. Ensuring that pipes and faucets are wrapped and left on a drip can help avoid damaging bursts from freezing. For emergency water, bring large barrels or troughs into a feed room or lounge area and fill them with water before the storm's arrival. Keeping the water shielded from direct contact with outside air is essential. Even placing a horse blanket over the top of the stored trough can help prevent freezing.

Emergencies that require evacuation take roughly the same preparation steps, regardless of the natural event type. In these types of emergencies, the critical factor is getting to safety quickly and calmly. Having the essentials ready to go can take the panic out of a frightening situation. If you live in an area that is prone to certain natural events, then you will want to make sure you have a go kit set up as you head into those seasons or when predictions start to circulate. You don't want to wait until government officials tell you it's time to leave to start getting things together. Having connections with either show facilities or barns that would allow you to come take refuge can take a lot of stress out of the evacuation process.

If you own a horse trailer, ensure it is maintained with good tires that are properly inflated, lug nuts that are tightened per manufacturer recommendations, and a hitch that is in good condition and properly fastened to the vehicle. For your truck, do not drive on an empty fuel tank in your day-to-day life; make sure you keep at least half a tank of fuel. In an emergency, fuel may not be easily accessible.

If you do not own or have access to a horse trailer, make sure your horse is at least familiar with and can be loaded in a horse trailer. It's important that your horse can be loaded into different styles of trailers to ensure ease of handling. If you do not own the trailer you normally use, make sure you have access to it or have an arranged ride for your horse in case of an emergency. If your trainer has more horses in their care than trailer spots, always keep a few friends as a backup.

There is no better time to prepare for an emergency than before it happens! Your horse's risk of harm increases dramatically when you have to scramble to get what you need together during an emergency. Having a plan for both a shelter-in-place emergency and an evacuation is essential to keeping both horse and human out of harm's way when the situation presents itself. Educate yourself on your local area (especially if you have recently moved to a new region) so that you know what you are most likely to encounter and what times of the year. Take a look at our Emergency Preparedness Products to stock up on everything your horse might need during an emergency.