OUR THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS ARE WITH THOSE AFFECTED BY THE OKLAHOMA CITY TORNADO.

A valuable lesson of this recent disaster and a very important part of any Disaster Plan is to think of how you will mark your horse (or any animal)  before any disaster strikes. There are a number of ways this can be accomplished.

• Halter Tag: Attach a luggage tag or any other tag to the halter of your horse.  Write your contact information on the tag and the horse’s special needs if any.  Sometimes horses lose their halters, so it is always a good idea to have several identification sources on your horse.

• Neck Collars: These are sturdy plastic collars generally used in broodmare operations.  You can write your information on these collars.

• Leg Band:  These are bands securely fastened around the pastern of your horse.

•  Tag: Put your information on a tag and braid into the tail or mane.
• Clipper shaved information in the animal’s coat.  Shave off your phone number on the horse’s coat.  This is a good idea for advance warning disasters.
• Livestock Marking Crayon:  A non toxic, non water-soluble marker used to write your information on your horse’s coat.
• Permanent marker to mark hooves.  These markers allow you to identify your horse more easily in a rescue facility .  These markings give you the advantage of saying up front “My horse has my telephone number written in blue on the hooves.”

That’s a lot of necessities to pack into what’s essentially a horse-sized box on wheels.  Making this all happen requires organization and effort on your part, but there are some tricks to operating from your trailer that will make your haul-in show day,  more convenient and more comfortable for both you and your horse.

Stress Control:  Use good organization to your advantage.  A chaotic tack and dressing room will translate to a chaotic, stressful day.  Create a master checklist of everything you need to pack, make copies and work from a fresh copy each time you load up.  A laminated copy works very well and if you use a dry erase pen, you can re-use your list until you make modifications.  Magnets glued on the back will keep your list mounted and in place.  Don’t assume that an essential item is in your trailer until you have seen it in there and checked it off your list.

Maximize cargo space by investing in several stackable, heavy-duty plastic tote tubs with snap on lids.  Use these to organize, then pack and stack necessities as grain, horse clothing, grooming gear, emergency supplies and so on.  Besides helping you compress equipment to maximize space, stackable tubs can double as bench seating or makeshift table for quick access to supplies. Colour coding tubs can also come in handy, for example, Rio has a red tub, Phantom has a purple tub and Bruq has a black tub.  Seeing the colour, will help in finding items quickly.

Every traveling horseperson fears leaving something critical at home on show day.  To eliminate this fear, give spare sets of grooming equipment, buckets, repair and first aid kits, longeing gear, halters and leads, and other necessities a permanent home in your trailer.

Self Security: Plan ahead for securing your valuables and keys when you’re away from your trailer.  Your gear will be vulnerable to theft if left out.  If your trailer doesn’t have a key lock to its tack room, look into having an alternative locking system in place.  One worry is that of being so preoccupied by something that we lock the keys in the truck or trailer (I speak from experience).  Keep an extra key hidden for this purpose.

Consider the Show Ground Rules: Be a good guest and a good neighbour.  If you’re headed to one of the most common events, the single day event like an open show, stalling is rare.  Pay the haul-in fee and clean up after you leave.

Smart Considerate Parking: Park with the comfort of your horse in mind when you pull onto the show grounds.  You first thought shouldn’t be getting the closest parking space but consider the orientation of your trailer in relation to the sun and safety of your horse and neighbours.

A Happy Horse: Tend to your horse’s need first after you park.  Don’t rush to unload.  Fill up his hay bag.  Get fresh water and place the bucket on the trailer fender and secure it place.  Next walk around your surrounding area looking for holes, sharp rocks or objects that could injure your horse or puncture your tire.  Tidy up the area as much as possible.  Set up your muck bucket and manure fork nearby to pick up piles quickly.  

Now it’s time to unload.  Do it quickly without disrupting other horses nearby that may be acclimatizing to their new environment.  Tie your horse properly to your trailer with a quick release knot and the rope tied high and comfortably short.  Don’t be in a rush to get off that horse blanket.  If you start rushing the moment you unload, your horse will be in a rushing frame of mind all day.  Give him time to settle down and relax taking in his new surroundings.  This will give you time to clean up the back of your trailer for the ride home.

Space Use:  Turn your trailer into a tack room, feed and part lounge.  Turn in the back of your horse trailer into a dressing room by cleaning the dirty bedding then smoothing it out and spreading a plastic tarp over the floor.  Place several folding chairs to keep the tarp in place and provide you with a seat to relax or get ready.  Your ice chest packed with snacks and beverages can double as a table. Create privacy by putting towels or a shower curtain over the exposed area.  Affix a magnet mount mirror onto one of the trailer walls so that you can easily apply your make up, fix your hair and check your look before going into the show ring.  Keep this area cool with a battery operated fan and don’t forget that collapsible trash can.

A magnetic white board can be put up either inside the tack room or outside the trailer.  This comes in very handy for any reminder notes such as ride times.  Also, a magnetic clock is very helpful during show day.   Try to find a fairly large one so that you can see the time when grooming and tacking up your horse.  A clock comes in very handy during warm-up, if you’re fortunate to be able to warm up near your trailer.

Your home away from home is now all set and you will have a safe, secure and organized base of operation for a fun day!  Remember to take notes on ways to improve to make your next venture out even better next time.

What happens if you smell smoke in the air?  Will you wish you had done your preplanning and set up your home and property with everything you need in a fire emergency?  Or will you, in the terrible beginning moments as you confront the emergency, find there is no one to help you, find what you have is broken or inadequate, or that you can’t get to your supplies?  When you plan, always consider the worst possibility: no water, no power, gas, roads, or communication and worst of all, it’s probably dark outside!

Preparing your land and your supplies

• Review your own situation carefully.  Decide what items you feel are necessary to sustain your family, outbuildings, livestock, pets, etc. during the emergency.  Keep a written list of supplies and their location in a very obvious spot.
• Keep emergency supplies and fire fighting equipment in a location that will always be accessible.  Do not use these tools except for an emergency and keep them clean and always in good working orrder.  Have motors servicesd regularly.  Be sure to get the proper training on the use of all your emergency equipment.

Large tools:

• Fire extinguishers, need to be checked/recharged annually.  Keep several in your barn.  One at each end and spaced out throughout the barn.
• Gasoline powered pump and hose to retrieve water from a swimming pol, stream or farm pond.
• Flashlights with a supply of fresh batteries.
• A generator with a fuel supply is the most useful item in a short term farm emergency and is essential in a long power outage.  You need quick hookups to equipment needing electricity installed in advance of the emergency.  Keep etra fuel filters, spark plug, and air cleaner.
• Small bucket heater that will run off the generator.
• Extra fuel safely stored.
• Hand tools such as sledge hammer, rake, chainsaw, wire cutters, leather gloves, water buckets, plastic bags of various sizes.

General

1. Protective clothing: cotton, wool and leather fabrics are the best.  Synthetics melt and rubber burns.  you will need long sleeved shirts and long cotton or wool pants in fire area with leather gloves and boots.  Tennis or runners can melt.  A cotton bandanna can serve as a mark, sweatband, ear warmer and to protect your hair.  Have a good pair of eye goggles to protect your eyes from smoke and ash.  Rain gear.
2. Can the emergency departments find you and get equipment onto your property?  Check the width of your gates.  Make sure that your address is easily seen from the street.  If you have an electric security gate, be sure everyone in the home/barn know how to open it when the power is out.
3. Know where any fire hydrants are in your area to better assist fire personnel.  If you have a farm pond, consider installing a dry hydrant.  if you have neither, preplan with your fire department concerning the need for a tanker.
4. If you have natural or LP gas service, locate the hut off valve and have the appropriate tool in clear site.
5. Know where your main barn electrical service panels are located and how to shut them off.  Know how to hook up the generator.
6. Supplies of diesel fuel, gasoline, propane, erosene, etc. elevated and at a safe distance from the house and barn.  These must be clearly and properly labeled as hazardous materials.
7. Have outside faucets on every building.  Make sure a hose with a nozzle is attached at each location.  Check the condition of hoses every six months.  Consider installing sprinklers in, around and on top of arns.  Consider lightning rods.
8. Store trash barrels filled with water.  Smaller buckets are used to carry water.  Have plenty of burlap bags and/or large bath towels available since they are useful for fire fighting  and for horse protection.
9. Be prepared to put out fresh hot spots with your stored water and bucket or wet burlap bag.  Shovel dirt on spot fire, if possible, to conserve your water supply.
10. Large clearning are generally safe for your horse during a fire.
11. Fire travels very quickly and travels faster going up hill.  Fire creates its own wind.  This can cause cinders to fly everywhere, including protected areas where your horses may be.
12. Proper trimming and pruning of your trees and clearing under them will make a huge difference.  Use fire retardant plants in landscaping will minimize the air borne cinders created during a firestorm.
13. Keep a list of emergency telephone number near all phones – fire, police, veterinarian, disaster services number and a list of nearby people with trailers to assist in quick evacuation should this becomenecessary.  Program i key numbers, but don’t depend on speed dialing working in an emergency.
14. Examine your horse facility and note what is NOT FLAMMABLE.  You will quickly realize that most things burn – wood, plastic, paper, etc.
15. Feed burns! The drier the hay, pellets and grain, the faster it burn.  Keep your feed and bedding away from structures.  The fine dust left by feed on the floor is also flammable.
16. Hay stacks can become blazing infernos.  Use a flame retardant cover over your stack, but it if catches fire – pull the stack apart if you can do so safely.
17. Bedding in stalls is extremely flammable.  Horse manure burns!  Store it in a safe place away from buildings and have the pile removed often.  Spontaneous combustion is possible with manure.
18. Cobwebs are flammable and it will provide a quick pathway for a fire.
19. Spontaneous combustion can happen where you store saddle cleaning supplies.  Store cleaning materials in a sealed fire resistant container.
20. Eaves on your buildings can attract fire if they are open.  Roofs and gutters should be kept free of leaves, pine needles etc.
21. Use fire safe equipment for your horse.  Nylon halters and ropes can melt into your horse’s flesh.  use a leather halter and a cotton lead rope.  Metal pieces on halts can become burning hot.
22. Be an aware owner.  Horses may panic and become wild with fear when they perceive danger.  Their instincts for survival are very strong. Horses that are in a panic state frequently will not leave the security of their stall.  Any barn can burn and horses must be led out and placedin a secured area or they may run back into the fire area particularly if the rest of their herd is there.  Blindfolding a panicked horse may help it accept being led to safety. If you must tie your horse be certain you are using a firmly set post.  Practice typing your horse for extended periods of time so he can be secured during a real emergency.
23. Pack a Horse Evacuation Kit in a non combustible container.  This should include all the equipment you will need and if possible, this kit should be kept in your horse trailer.

Presented by:  Larissa Cox

1. True or False?  By 2018, most veterinarians will be women.
   True.  When the 2007 veterinary school graduates entered the workforce, the veterinary profession reached a tipping point.  For the first time in history, According to the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), more women than men were practicing veterinarians.
2. True or False?  A shortage of large animal veterinarians is likely to develop over the next 10 years? True.  In an 2006 AVMA study showed that the demand for food animal veterinarians, those who specialize in cattle, swine and other livestock will increase by 12 – 13 percent by 2016.  However, in the same study the number of veterinarians trained to treat large animals will only grow by 7 or 8 percent leaving a potential shortfall of at least 4 percent.
3. True or False?  Federal law specifies that only a veterinarian can float a horse’s teeth.
   False.  Equine dentistry is regulated at the state level and laws vary amount different jurisdictions.
4. True or False?  A growing number of U.S, horses are now exported to other countries to be slaughtered.
   True.  Slaughter plants that process horses for human consumption continue to operate in Canada and Mexico and data from several sources suggest that more horses are now being transported across the borders since US slaughter facilities were closed.

Hurricanes, tornadoes, flooding and fire are the most common natural disasters. The leading cause of death in large animals during Hurricane Andre in 1992 included animals killed in collapsed barns, electrocution, kidney failure secondary to dehydration and animals hit and killed on roadways or tangled in barbed wire after escaping from their pasture. Each farm should have a written disaster plan to optimize safety and survival of all animals. This post is focusing on Hurricane and Flood Planning.

BEFORE THE STORM

Horses

• Vaccination:  All horses should have a tetanus toxoid vaccine within the last year.  Due to the increase in the mosquito population after massive rainfall, you should also consider giving your horses the West Nile Virus and Eastern?Western Encephalitis vaccinations as well.
• A health certificate is required to cross any state line.  This may be necessary for evacuation of coastal areas.
• Each horse needs to be identified with at least one, if not all of the following:  A halter with name/farm information in a zip lock bag secured to the halter with duct tape; A luggage tag with horse/farm name and phone number braided into the tail.  Make sure that this is water proof; Photos of each horse as proof of ownership highlighting obvious identifying marks.
• Evacuation of flood planes and coastal areas is recommended.  Evacuation must occur 48 hours before hurricane force winds occur in any area.  Transportation of horses when wind gusts exceed 40 mpg is dangerous.
• Should horses be left in the pasture or placed in the barn?  If your pasture has good fencing and limited trees, it is probably best to leave the horses outside.  Well constructed pole barns may provide safety from flying debris, but the horses may become trapped if the wind collapses the building.
• Keep horses out of pasture with power lines.
• Trees with shallow root will fall easily under hurricane force winds and can injure your horse or destroy fencing.  Do not keep horses in barbed wire or electric fencing during a storm.
• Fire Ants and snakes will search for high ground during flooding.  Carefully look over your premises and prepare for these potential dangers.

Water

• Each horse should have 12 – 20 gallons per day stored.
• Fill garbage cans with plastic liners and fill all water troughs.
• Have a generator to run the well.
• Keep chlorine bleach on hand to add to contaminated water if necessary.  To purify water add two drops of chlorine bleach per quart of water and let stand for 30 minutes.

Feed Storage

• Store a minimum of 72 hours of feed and hay (7 days is best).  It is very possible that roads will be closed because of downed power lines and trees limiting access to feed stores.  Cover hay with water proof tarp and place it on palates.  Keep grain in water tight containers.

General

• Remove all items from hallways.
• Jumps and lawn furniture should be secured in a safe place.
• Place large vehicles/tractors/trailers in an open field where trees cannot fall on them.
• Turn off electrical power to the barn.
• Keep an emergency first aid kit – human and equine on hand.
• Keep emergency tools on hand:  Chain saw/fuel; hammer/nails; fence repair material; wire cutters/tool box/pry bar; fire extinguisher; duct tape

AFTER THE STORM

• Carefully inspect each horse for injury including eyes.
• Walk the pasture to remove debris.  Make sure that no Red Maple tree branches fell in the pasture.  Just a few wilted leaves are very toxic to horses.  Clinical signs of Red Maple toxicity are dark chocolate-colored gums, anorexia and red urine.
• Inspect property for downed power lines.
• Take pictures of storm damage.
• If your horse is missing, contact the local animal control or disaster response team.

My horse holds his tail to one side, does this mean that something is wrong?  - Barbara,  Vancouver BC

Answer:

Holding the tail to one side, either to the left or to the right, can be a habit.  However, there is also a possibility that it may be a sign of pain or an indicator of an asymmetry of muscle tone, either in the muscles controlling the movement of the tail or in the back.  The time to consider calling in your vet, is when your horse who previously held his tail straight, start to carry it consistently to one side.

The underlying cause may be as simple as muscle pain, which a qualified equine massage therapist, chiropractor or equine physiotherapist should be able to identify and treat.  However, if the problem is recurring, then there is an unidentified issue that has resulted in secondary muscle tension and soreness such as your saddle no longer fitting.

While your vet needs to try to identify a lame limb(s), he must also look for more subtle alterations in gait, change in balance, loss of fluidity of movement or an intermittently slightly irregular rhythm.  It is also important to evaluate the rider because some problems are created by the rider themselves.

Some visual or auditory cues are more easily deciphered by horses than others.  Dogs do better than horses and all other animals on related studies, but horses may have the potential to catch up with mans best friend.

Horses inherently understand people better than most other animals do, displaying tremendous sensitivity to even the most subtle eye and body movements, new research suggests.  According to this study which was published in the latest issue of Animal Behaviour, horses are able to decipher certain types of human given visual and auditory cues.  Dogs, however, appear to be far more adept than any other species at figuring out what we are trying to communicate especially when we are attempting to direct an animal’s attention to an external object.

The reverse “Dr. Doolittle” phenomenon – how well animals understand us – seems to be tied to two factors:  domestication and an animal’s predisposition to how we communicate.  Dogs rule on other counts as dogs do tend to have a much closer relationship with man and have probably been bred for their ability to pick up on our cues more so than horses.

A researcher in the Psychology Department at the University of Sussex tried five different ways of getting horses to investigate an empty bucket.  If the horse got it right, a piece of carrot was dropped into the bucket.  The five ways included placing a striped wooden marker in front of the bucket; pointing at the bucket’ tapping on the side of the bucket; gazing at it, and having a person face in the direction of the bucket.  The 34 horses that participated in the study understood the pointing and markers, but flunked all the rest!

The overall pattern of responding suggested that horses may use cues that provide stimulus enhancement at the time of choice and do not have an understanding of the communicative nature of the cues given.  The researchers theorize that the way we’ve domesticated horses has affected how they respond to us now.

In the past, horses were valued for their size, beauty, strength and other qualities not always associated with behaviour. Depending on how horses are domesticated and trained in the future, they may  have the potential to catch up with dogs as  being man’s best understanding friend!

Over the next several Friday posts, Tack and Talk will be publishing recommendations intended to help you prepare for most disasters.

Long Range Planning

• Familiarize yourself with the types of disasters that could occur in your area and develop a written plan of action for each type of disaster.  Keep this plan with your important papers and review the Disaster Plan on a regular basis with everyone involved.  Post emergency numbers in a visible location in your stable or barn.
• Survey your property for the best location for animal confinement for each type of disaster.  Identify food and water sources that do not rely on electricity.
• Decide where to take the horses if evacuation becomes necessary.
• Photograph the left and right sides of each horse as well as his face and medial and  lateral legs.  Also take a photo of your horse with you in it.  This will help when picking up your horse from evacuation.  Record his breed, sex, age and colour.  Keep copies with important papers and prepare temporary identification tags for halters or clipping ID numbers directly onto the horse.
• Have all horse records written down and copied.  Put one set in a zip lock bag and put any computer information onto a disk and into the zip lock bag.  Also keep a copy of these records with your important papers.
• Keep vaccinations up to date.
• If you own a horse trailer or van, make sure it is insured and in good operating condition.
• Make sure your horse will load.  Practice, practice and practice.  no use in having a horse trailer if your horse won’t load!
• Keep a supply of hay, grain, extra medications and veterinary supplies on hand.  Consider keeping tranquilizers on hand should a horse become panicked during a crisis; ask your veterinarian what is available.

]]> http://tackandtalk.wordpress.com/2013/05/03/disaster-preparedness/feed/ 0 tackandtalk http://tackandtalk.wordpress.com/2013/04/30/q-a-sweet-iron-bit/ http://tackandtalk.wordpress.com/2013/04/30/q-a-sweet-iron-bit/#comments Tue, 30 Apr 2013 12:16:05 +0000 tackandtalk http://tackandtalk.wordpress.com/?p=3386 ]]> Question:

I use a straight-bar snaffle on my horse, but my instructor suggested that I switch to a sweet iron bit as this would soften him in the mouth.  How much does a bit’s material affect the horse? – Jaimie, NC

Bits come in all shapes, sizes and material!

Answer:

Choosing the “right” bit for your horse can be difficult and time consuming, it’s like putting together a jigsaw puzzle.  There are options to help your horse soften and become more receptive to the correct aids – a different mouthpiece, a different bit ring, or as you asked, a different material.

Stainless stell is the most common metal used to make today’s bit.  However, some horses find the metal tasteless and cold, which is why it was suggested that you consider switching to sweet iron, a metal said to encourage salivation.

Sweet iron oxidizes with use, to produce a sweet taste, hence the name.  These bits have had a negative press due to inferior manufacturing processes in the past, but today’s sweet iron bits are safe and well made with combinations of copper and sweet iron.

Another material that may work for your horse is Salox, which is used in the Neue Schule bits.  Salox is a nickel-free, copper alloy formulated to encourage acceptance of the bit through warmth and sweetness.  The copper is alloyed with other components and warms very quickly in the mouth.  Because Salox maintains blood temperature, the mouthpiece doesn’t feel like a foreign body to the horse, which means many riders find the rein aids are more definitive.

Other types of mouthpiece materials available include polyurethane and rubber blends.  You should also check to see if the bit is of correct size and if the bit is worn, which also may cause discomfort.

Have any questions?  Ask Tack and Talk!

Judges like to see symmetry.  In Training Level tests where the transitions are between the letters try to put the upward and downward transition on both reins at approximately the same plae.  However, remember that the judges also want to see good basics over accuracy.  As an example, if you need to make a choice between riding a smooth transition a little before or after the letter or doing a stiff, crooked transistion exactly at the letter, then choose the smooth one even though it is not quite at the right place.

What part of the horse should halt at X?  The horse’s shoulder to the rider’s knee should be over the letter.  This is more important when you have a judge on the side.

Another unwritten rule is to only salute the judge at C.  The C judge is the president of the Ground Jury for the class and will return your salute.  If you go off course, go to the judge at C.

Learn the dimensions of the ring.  If you have no clue as to the dimensions, how can you ride an accurate 20-meter circle?  Don’t be surprised about the deductions on accuracy if you ride an oval rather than a circle.

To ride a good diagonal line, use the corners.  The horse’s nose and shoulder should touch the letter as you leave the corner, and the horse’s nose and shoulder should touch the letter at the end of the diagonal line before you go into the corner.

With respect to the free walk, it is not how low the head and neck goes that counts, it is the ability of the horse to use his topline and move his neck and back.  Don’t hod your horse’s head down ans this will create stiffness and will cost you marks.

Judges need to encourage rider to do movements correctly and not give high scores for turn on the haunches that look like walk pirouettes.  The track of the hind legs is allowed to cover approximately one meter.  Pay attention to wording.  If it says begin before C then that means before C, not past C and not at C.

Know where each movement begins and ends.  If a mistake occurs, try to contain it in one movement.  Don’t loose your temper and make a huge correction which often carries the low score into the next movement as well.

A counter canter has as much bend as a 20-meter circle.  Riders tend to overbend the neck in the direction of the lead which puts the horse on the outside shoulder creating an unbalanced movement.

At the end of the test, always thank the judge at C.

Always read the purpose of the test which is listed at the top of each test.  The purpose discusses the basics that will be needed to accomplish the exercises in the test.  Remember that accuracy is always secondary to good basics.  Your training is finished the day you arrive at the show grounds where you are to demonstrate your training.  Judges do not appreciate seeing huge corrections being made by riders.  If you go back and do a movement again you will receive an error deduction on your score at the end and the judge will give you the score you deserved the first time you performed that movement.