By fall 2023, Equine Info Exchange had published “Disaster Preparedness,” an excerpt from Stacie’s book The Ultimate Guide for Horses in Need, reprinted with permission from Trafalgar Square Books. The excerpt covers what it actually takes to get horses out ahead of a fire, flood, or other disaster — knowing your local risks, planning evacuation locations and routes, and preparing horses for transport long before the day you need it.
Disaster Preparedness
By Dr. Stacie Boswell — Equine Info Exchange; excerpted from The Ultimate Guide for Horses in Need
The core of the plan:
For larger rescues or ranches, evacuating dozens of horses may not be practical or possible. Consider shelter-in-place options, whereby disaster risks are mitigated through land management and plans for emergency care at home. Gather any items you may need such as halters, lead ropes, medications, and feed for your horses. Have a plan for leaving in five minutes, five hours, or five days.
On why trailer training is disaster preparedness:
Disaster preparedness is a motivator for trailer training, so school your horse and have him ready. The more stressed and fearful your horse is, the harder it will be to load him in the trailer, so train him to be confident in a variety of circumstances. Load him in the rain. Load him in the dark. Load him in the wind. Load him in the snow. Load him in the sun. Load him into a different trailer. You may not be there for your horse. Enlist the help of friends and family members for further training — just because your Mustang has learned to trust you and will go where you ask, doesn’t mean he will do it for others.
And the stakes when horses are not ready to load:
During one fire in New Mexico, a husband and wife farrier team repeatedly drove into the flames and returned with loads of horses. They had to encourage, use ropes, and cajole horses in with food. The longer it took to load one horse, the longer the next horse had to wait, and the higher the risk to these volunteers.
Read the full excerpt at Equine Info Exchange. For the complete guide, including the full disaster-preparedness chapter, Stacie’s book, The Ultimate Guide for Horses in Need, is available directly from Stacie or from Trafalgar Square Books.