I recently moved along with my mare to the Houston area and my new barn owner suggested I make a disaster plan for her in case of a hurricane. I’ve never had to do this before! What should I do? Or include in it? Do I need to call barns farther inland in case of an evacuation? I truly am clueless about this stuff! We have a trailer (although she doesn’t load well at all). She’s 8 and boarding in a stall with 6-8 hours turnout if that even makes a difference! Thanks so much!!
I just moved to south-central Louisiana last year, just a few weeks before Isaac hit. Boy did I get a crash course in hurricane-horse prep!
LSU Vet School’s Pet Disaster Preparedness Info.
Very useful info.
For me, having a place to evacuate in mind already was #1. I think they suggest one in each direction, but I just head north, away from the coast. Horsey friends, show facilities, or public fairgrounds are all potentials.
My horses ended up riding out Hurricane Isaac in their barn where I boarded at the time. It was very sturdy, on high ground, and Isaac was only a Category 1. But, anything more than that and I will head out of town ASAP, especially because I have them home in an older barn that is nowhere near as sturdy. I had about three days’ warning with Isaac which was more than enough time to evacuate if I had done so.
I think those who grew up in the area are more nonchalant than I, but I really have no interest in being stuck with a flooded barn with water moccasins everywhere and no way to get out. We had people from New Orleans evacuate up to us for Isaac, so I’m definitely not the only one.
Also make sure all paperwork is up to date and make sure your horses are microchipped in case they get lost. Your BO would appreciate that info. And in immediate prep for the storm, I wrote my phone # on their hooves in permanent ink, just in case.
ETA: Even after Isaac, which was a relatively “minor” hurricane, I did not have electricity at my house for 4 days. That was a beast for even just me and my cat; I didn’t even have the horses at home during that time.
Also, gas sold out in the entire area within a day or two before the storm hit (everyone stocking up for generators). Another issue I did not foresee. I was lucky and had filled up my car because we didn’t get gas back in the area until at least 4-5 days after the storm.
The trick is to have your plan in place long before you need it! Here we usually head to one of the big showgrounds inland, and if possible leave way before they tell you to. Have paperwork and supplies on hand all the way through hurricane season. Have the truck and trailer always ready to go, so you arent on the side of the road with a flat tire or a bad wheel bearing. If you wait until they tell you to leave you WILL get stuck in traffic, and you WILL run out of gas. And as far as her not being a good loader, get to work on that, because if you HAVE to go, and she will not load, no bueno!
Definitely have all your paperwork in order, get your horse microchipped, have an escape plan, etc., and make sure your horse’s Coggins is up to date.
I’m in Miami, and when there’s a hurricane coming, we leave leather (or breakaway halters) on the horses, w/luggage tags w/their info (address, owner’s name, several phone #s, vet’s name & phone #, etc.) attached to the halter as well as one braided into the tail. We also write as much info as we can on them w/livestock markers
Our county also offers “hurricane stalls” to horse owners, @ one of the public parks that has cement block stables.
People only take their horses there if absolutely necessary, as you’re not allowed to go out & check on your horse during the storm. But if the hurriane is bad enough & you can’t leave (we really only have one way to go–north–and that route gets pretty clogged up unless you leave very early), people who have their horses in wooden barns will take their horses to the park so they will be in a cement block barn.
Keep in mind your plan may change depending on the severity of the hurricane.
I had my horses in NW Houston and a couple of the barns weathered storms well and had good plans to handle extended lack of electricity, etc. I would have sheltered in place up to a strong Cat 3 or Cat 4, and then I had one group of evacuation barns about an hour out and a list of others much further inland.
If you don’t have your own trailer, line up several people you can call for a ride. If your first choice decides to ride it out or is stuck in traffic with another load, you want options.
Make your decision early, especially if you are coordinating a ride out. You don’t want to evacuate in peak traffic. Better for your horse to spend a weekend at a strange barn for no reason than for you to realize too late that you should have gone.
Have a communication plan in place. Ideally, everyone at your barn will check in with a single person well out of the hurricane strike zone to get info/updates.
Talk to the people at your barn if you need ideas on where to go. They should have their own plans in place and can recommend barns to evacuate to. Evacuations are a reality here – some barns will flood in even a strong storm, never mind a hurricane. And the Magnolia fire was fairly recent and caused a number of evacuations. People WILL help you figure out where to go and how to get there, so your horses stay safe.
Be sure your horse will load effortlessly in wind, darkness or heavy rain. Practice and practice. Horses who won’t load are left behind.
You need to have a personal evacuation plan for yourself first. Do you have that yet?
We live in Houston also and mandatory evacuation rules have changed. If you and your horse are south of 610 your plans may differ greatly from those further north.
Check with your County Extension Agent for ideas if you are in Galveston or Ft. Bend Counties. They may Pre-register you and your horse for early evacuation.
If you are north of I 10 and have a solid barn, it’s more of an option as you are further inland and the traffic for the mandatory evacuees from the south will make evacuation longer.
Your horse has to load, so practice that for sure. If you have to leave your horse behind, use a sharpie to write your number on his hooves, weave your number in his hair.
Take ID photos of his star/blaze, spots, socks, and yes, have all your documents ready because he may end up at a claim site if he gets loose, so you’ll need proper ID for him when you come to claim.
The sharpie on the hooves is a good one! I’ll use that next storm. Thanks!
There are LOTS of trees near the barn I board at. I have arranged a plan with a barn down the street from me that if there is ever a minor hurricane coming, I would move my horse there as there are not many trees surrounding her barn. My parents had NO damage in Isaac, but my sister who lives much further inland than NOLA had two trees crash through her house. So even if the storm isn’t major enough to truly evacuate, you may want to check out how safe it may be for you to stay at your barn.
Having been thru my fair share while we lived in FL, you must have a plan in advance. If your barn is not in a safe area, find somewhere inland that will take you. Get to work on loading. I promise you will be stressed when the time comes and the last thing you need to deal with is a horse that will not load. All of the identification ideas above are great. Plan to have plenty of feed and water on hand. Have your coggins ready and if you are going out of state, make sure you know if you need a health certificate. (sometimes they lift this request depending on the situation). Finally, make sure you leave early. I would rather take a trip for no reason if the storm turns than to be stuck in grid lock traffic. Hopefully you will never need this advice !
[QUOTE=Frizzle;7162454]
Definitely have all your paperwork in order, get your horse microchipped, have an escape plan, etc., and make sure your horse’s Coggins is up to date.
I’m in Miami, and when there’s a hurricane coming, we leave leather (or breakaway halters) on the horses, w/luggage tags w/their info (address, owner’s name, several phone #s, vet’s name & phone #, etc.) attached to the halter as well as one braided into the tail. We also write as much info as we can on them w/livestock markers[/QUOTE]
Luggage tags are a great idea! Currently, I live in south Louisiana and have a solid cement block barn but I will be moving to south Alabama in the next year or so and will have to board my horses for the first time. This is great advice!
Make a plan specifically for you and your family, 2&4 legged.
Keep bottled water, non-perishable food, batteries and TP on hand at all times.
Keep the above plus enough animal feed, hay and bedding and whatever on hand to last up to a week. As you discovered it can take awhile for stores to be restocked. Make a list of what you that applies to your situation.
Make certain your horses load easily
Make certain you can round up cats and dogs and secure them in the trailer or truck.
DH has a habit of topping off fuel before going home, that way all of the vehicles have a full gas tank. Check fluids and tires weekly so you are ahead of any maintance, especially during hurricane season.
At the 2005 US Eventing Annual convention one of the speakers was a vet who had worked hurricane sites from 1997 through 2005. He told us a) make a plan for ourselves, b) if applicable make a plan with your neighbors, c) check with local community for an overall plan.
Number One Point - make preparations to care for yourself and your family for a minimum of 3-4 days. Because he saw over and over, the community and the government are unable to respond immediately.
Think I’d be working on the loading thing–no matter where you live, no matter the reason you might have to evacuate.
We’ve had to “evacuate” a couple to the clinic over the years, and believe me, the ability to load can be life-or-death.
They can all be retrained . . .
Training a horse to load safely, easily, and by yourself has been by far the #1 best thing I have ever trained my horses to do. Or in the case of my 17h young TB, I shipped him 600+ miles specifically for “trailer boot camp” with my old trainer after I had moved to a new state. I have been in too many emergency situations where I am grateful they hop right on. Try loading a colicking horse by yourself in the dark while you’re panicking that he may need to go to surgery and you’ll know what I’m talking about.
