Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
an up-to-date count of the number of horses in your care along with a list of their
owners' names, addresses, and telephone numbers.
Natural Disasters
Other emergencies such as floods, earthquakes, hurricanes, winter storms, wildfires, and
winds can affect your horsekeeping by cutting you off from electricity, water, or roads.
When disaster strikes, you need to make an assessment and a plan that will ensure the safety
and well-being of people and animals, secure your facilities, and reestablish the function-
ing of normal routines as soon as possible.
Design a specific plan for the type of emergency that would most likely occur in your
area and then rehearse it with everyone who lives on your property or is involved with your
barn. If you live in a forested area and wildfire is your biggest threat, your disaster plan
may involve vacating to less wooded area on your land or evacuating altogether. Here is
where trailering practice will prove its worth. (For more information on trailering, see Hill,
Trailering Your Horse
[Storey, 2000]).
Firefighters encourage horse owners to evacuate their animals early because the number
of horse trailers on the road in a wildfire evacuation zone often outnumbers fire vehicles,
clogging highways and hampering efforts. If immediate evacuation is necessary, it is often
best to use a grease marker or spray paint to write your name and phone number or address
on the side of your horse and turn him loose. Horses are often better able to fend for them-
selves loose than when left in an enclosure.
If winter storms are common, your plan should include alternate sources of power and
water. If flooding is a threat, know where the nearest high ground is on which you can re-
locate your horses.
Alternate power source
A gasoline-powered generator can supply the power necessary to run a water pump
and lights. One gallon of fuel will run a generator for 2 to 8 hours. Because of exhaust
fumes, a generator should be operated outside the barn, so you will need 12-gauge or
heavier extension cords with the correct plug configurations for connecting the gener-
ator to the water pump, heaters, and lights. Also, your pump and lights will have to be
configured by an electrician to accept auxiliary power.
