NATURE’S WRATH: The Riverside Dressage facility in Colorado (the submerged arena is in the background) under water in 2013 (left). The floodwaters dumped massive piles of debris requiring extensive cleanup (right).
USDF silver medalist Jessica Naten, of Sacramento, CA, says she “evacuated from three fires in 2015 and two floods in the last thirty days,” referring to the floods that made national news early in 2017. From those experiences, Naten has learned that “First and foremost, it’s extremely important to have an evacuation plan that is well-prepared and gone over every year, especially if you have a boarding facility or numerous horses.”
Marshal Your Resources Thanks to technology, it’s easier than ever to stay current on imminent dangers in your area. Gimenez recommends downloading your choice of relevant smartphone apps and having a NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association) weather radio on hand. Some weather-related apps can be set to send text-message alerts when storms threaten.
“Hurricanes, high winds, and blizzards are pretty predictable these days if you pay attention to a weather app,” Gimenez says. Take advantage of local resources, too: from asking the fire marshal to perform a safety inspection of your facility to inviting an equine-rescue expert to speak at your farm. “Have a good relationship with your fire department, police department, or official within your community that understands your situation,” Naten recommends. “Our property looks like a small barn from the road, but there are actually a hundred horses. We stay in touch with our fire chief; if I didn’t have that relationship with him and keep that communication open, he probably wouldn’t realize we have so many horses. They really do keep you in mind; he lets us know when something is going on.”
Load Up
48 June 2017 • USDF CONNECTION
COURTESY OF LAURA SPEER; DUSTYPERIN.COM
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n advance plan for trailering should be part of every horse owner’s evacuation plan. If danger threatens, do you have a trailer and hauling vehicle in good working order at the ready? If not, does your horse have a spot on someone else’s rig? The nicest trailer in town will do you no good if your horse refuses to get on it. “I can’t say enough about having your horse load,” says dressage pro Laura Speer, who had to evacuate her flooded farm in Colorado in 2013. “All of our horses loaded right on up. There were sirens going off; you had to yell over the IS THIS YOUR HORSE? Teaching a horse to board a trailer roaring-river sound. The horses have to be able to get on a willingly could one day save his life strange trailer in a panicky situation.” “Loading is the number-one skill that a horse needs after good handling and leading skills—way before nice two-tracks and piaffes,” says equine disaster-preparedness expert Dr. Rebecca Gimenez. “We regularly see horses that get left behind in wildfires and floods, simply because they will not load. People make all kinds of excuses: My horse won’t load on ramps, likes shavings, doesn’t like the dark, et cetera. These kinds of excuses are essentially condemning your horse to death in an emergency. My horses load in any trailer at any time, and I purposely practice those skills.”