unattended for long periods of time, a storm could crop up and no one is there to bring him in. Without your help, a barn does him no good if he is still in the pasture when a storm hits. Stalls also require a great deal of time and maintenance. Daily cleaning is required if you wish to keep your horse healthy. That also means keeping the stall level, dry and covered with absorbent bedding. Unfortunately, not everyone can accommodate horses in barns for a variety of reasons. The expense is a prominent consideration. The financial demands of building and maintaining a safe barn can be great. Then you must be available on a routine basis to care for your horse or you will need to employ someone else to look after your horse. Boarding at a barn can be a significant expense but there are many advantages. There are people to take care of your horse for you and help to keep both of you safe. Typically there are facilities for riding and storing your equipment, too. I have known people who simply turn their horses out in a pasture and don’t look at them for weeks at a time. It sounds simple and easy. It can be done, but I’ve discovered that the mortality rate of horses kept in that manner is much higher. Through the years, I
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have met many horse owners who have lost horses to lightning strikes or injuries that were not treated promptly. When Hurricane Ike was approaching, I found the diversity in approaches to the protection of horses interesting. As I attempted to move all of my horses out of harm’s way, I looked around at pastures where people had left horses behind to weather the storm on their own. I couldn’t help but feel sad for those who were at risk of death or injury by flying objects and collapsing buildings. I guess the good news is that they weren’t stressed because they had no idea of what they were in store for. After Hurricane Ike subsided, I returned to the Houston area to find that most of the horses that were left behind were grazing in pastures as if nothing had happened. It almost made me wonder whether all the time, expense and effort of moving everyone was worth it. And then I remembered how scary the storm was as I rode it out in my house. I thought about how traumatized the horses that were left behind must have been. I also suspect there were many cuts, minor injuries and bruises on the horses that rode out the storm unattended. So, was it worth the time, expense and effort? You bet it was! I was able
to have the peace of mind that my wonderful horses who give me so much were safe and protected. Performance horses and those who are simply family pets are important to their owners. The economics that go into them all encompass a wide range. Training and TLC (tender loving care) may not cost the same, but the significance of each glorious animal is considerable to each one’s owner. I can’t help but think that anyone who is emotionally or financially invested in their horses would have to agree with this one thing. The peace of mind that comes with keeping them safe and providing shelter from the storm is worth all the expense and inconvenience of protecting them. We may not all protect them in the same way, but protect them, we must! Their safety and well-being are our responsibilities as horse owners.
Cathy Strobel has over 30 years of experience as a trainer, judge and clinician and can be reached at Southern Breeze Equestrian Center at (281) 431-4868 or www.sbreeze.com
October 2008 - TEXAS HORSE TALK
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