Weather-related disasters are seemingly becoming more frequent across the world. Depending on your location, several natural disasters could be a possible danger to your horses. Tornadoes, wildfires, flooding, and hurricanes may seem an impossible challenge to prepare for, but planning can help keep your horses safe.
The key is to be ready for all types of disasters to reduce the stress on everyone, including your horse. Hurricanes are usually much easier to plan for than tornadoes and fires because they are much more predictable, and the timing of their impact on land can generally be estimated.
Recent tornadoes and storms in the South and Midwest have shown that tornadoes are highly erratic and hit-and-miss. And, as seen by the recent wildfires in California, fires can suddenly head in a different direction or increase in intensity with a wind or weather change.
Develop A Plan
You should have a good evacuation plan for all situations. This plan should include where you can take your horses in an emergency. Make arrangements with a friend or another horse owner to stabilize your horse outside the at-risk region. You need to have a written preparedness plan and stick to it.
Michele DeVinney Schmoll (Horse Evacuations East Facebook Administrator) and Dr. Clayton McCook, DVM, have worked with horse owners during natural disasters for many years. He says that the worst thing you can do is second-guess yourself when you are in the middle of a disaster situation. If evacuation is an option, then do it. Allow yourself enough time. Do not delay; you may be stuck in traffic with your horse or worse, in the middle of the disaster with no way out.
Schmoll and McCook say to stock up on fuel, have paper maps due to GPS outages, have walkie talkies, mark your property – place placards on property fence gates informing firefighters that animals are being sheltered in place there, keep a paper list of emergency contacts, team up with your neighbors, have a list of evacuation locations, medical records, insurance paperwork and proof of ownership, make sure horses are vaccinated and have coggins, have an equine first aid kit, horse medication, horse identification such as: microchip, fetlock bands or evacuation collars.
Oklahoma Trainer Leonard Berryhill, Kentucky trainer Brent Maxwell, and Tennessee breeder Katie Van Slyke told us that they don’t have any significant evacuation plans in place due to the most common disaster being tornadoes in these areas. Tornadoes are very unpredictable. “We just pray that God will care for our horses,” Berryhill says.
Brent Maxwell says, “We are not in a low-lying area to be affected by water and flooding, and tornadoes are such a spur of the moment, so it’s hard to plan ahead of them regarding evacuation. I am fortunate enough to have vet clinics within one and a half miles of the house should something major happen that we hopefully could get the care we need rapidly for minor tornado damages and such, but no plan for mass devastation that some big tornadoes can cause.”
Van Slyke adds, “I wish I had something fancier than just putting them in the barn.”
A storm shelter for a massive herd of horses is probably not feasible. Still, GoHorseShow did an article several years ago about a woman in Oklahoma who built a safe room for their ten horses. A retired school teacher and horse lover, Mary Ellen Hickman of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, finally did what many horse lovers would love to do to keep their horses safe. Hickman built a safe room to protect her horses from dangerous weather and tornadoes.
“Many people build swimming pools, and it costs about the same amount to build a safe room for my animals,” Hickman says. “I don’t have a swimming pool, but I now have a safe room that is supposed to protect up to an F-5 tornado.”
According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) website, “a safe room is a hardened structure specifically designed to meet the (FEMA) criteria and provide ‘near-absolute protection’ in extreme weather events, including tornadoes and hurricanes. Near-absolute protection means that, based on our current knowledge of tornadoes and hurricanes, the occupants of a safe room built under FEMA guidance will likely be protected from injury or death.”
Hickman designed a safe room for ten horses, housed side-by-side like in a trailer. The size of her room is 12×35, with additional emergency lighting and fans installed. The cement walls are around eight inches thick. “The peace of mind of knowing that I have done everything to protect my animals was well worth the cost. I also see building a safe room as an investment if I ever sell my place.”
Evacuation Tips
A few things to remember to take – keep your horse’s dietary requirements written down and bring them with you. Bring medication, a first aid kit, and all veterinary supplies. Bring your halters, lead ropes, wraps, twitch, blankets, fly masks, water, and feed buckets. Take an extra 50 feet of cotton rope and flashlights with extra batteries. Take hay and feed enough for a week if possible. Carrying an ample supply of fresh water and buckets on the trailer will be very important during the evacuation in case you are caught in traffic for any duration. You will want to be able to provide the horses water while waiting on the highway. A generous supply of hay and grain will also be necessary.
For the past few years, breeder and horse owner Leigh Anne Griffith and her family have been dealing with the aftermath of hurricanes near Sarasota, Florida. “We evacuate to Fox Lea Farm, a few miles away, which is a commercial facility. This involves moving fifty to sixty head of horses, which we’ve done during both Hurricanes Ian and Milton,” Griffith shares. “Our family plans to build a commercial barn on the property to withstand hurricanes in the next year or so. It’s impossible to move horses to WEC Ocala or inland due to the numbers we keep. Grateful for fabulous neighbors and friends in Kim and Clay Farrell.”
Trainer Jimmy Daurio of Pueblo, Colorado, has an evacuation plan. Colorado often sees wildfires and sometimes massive flooding. “We are lucky to live very close to the county fairgrounds. Anytime there are fires, they evacuate horses and other animals to that location. If a fire is near, we leave all trucks and trailers hooked up for fast evacuation for ourselves and neighbors.”
Weathering the Storm at Home
If you plan to weather the storm at home, here are some guidelines from Schmoll and McCook. Keeping your horse in a barn or an open field is entirely up to you. Use common sense, considering barn structure, trees, power lines, and the condition of surrounding properties. Remove all items from the barn aisles and walls and store them safely. Have two weeks’ supply of hay (wrapped in plastic or waterproof tarp) and feed (stored in plastic water-tight containers). Place these supplies in the highest and driest area possible.
They continue – Take two plywood boards and spray-paint on one side of each board, “HAVE ANIMALS, NEED HELP.” On the other side of each board, paint, “HAVE ANIMALS, OK FOR NOW.” Put both plywood boards with your feed supply. Fill clean plastic garbage cans with water, secure the tops, and place them in the barn. Prepare an emergency animal care kit (waterproof) with all the items you usually use: medications, salves, ointments, vet wraps, bandages, tape, etc. Place the kit in a safe place where you can get to it after a storm. Have an emergency barn kit containing a chain saw and fuel, hammers, a saw, nails, screws and fencing materials. Place this kit in a secure area before the storm hits.
Also, they say to have an ample supply of flashlights, batteries, and at least one battery-operated radio. Secure all vehicles, trailers, and maintenance equipment using camper tie-downs. Notify neighbors and family where you will be during the storm. Attach identification to all horses before leaving the barn.
Turn off circuit breakers that go to the barn before leaving. A power surge could cause sparks and fire. Do not stay in the barn with your horse during the storm. Place a supply of water and hay with each horse.
If there is a fire, remove horses from barns. Horses should be relocated from barns even if those structures are equipped with sprinkler systems. Paddocks or metal-construction areas provide safer shelter. Close the barn to prevent scared horses from returning inside and becoming trapped.
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Developing a plan and organizing everything may be overwhelming at first, but it is better to try and be prepared than just winging it.
Often, casualties will still happen no matter what you have done to prepare, but you will at least have the peace of mind that you tried to keep your beloved horses safe. Mother Nature is a powerful force that is sometimes impossible to contain, but with the correct tools and adequate planning, you will have a better chance of a happy outcome.
