If you live in an area that experiences wildfires, it is important to prepare appropriately for your horses. This will help you to keep them safe and yourself safe. With careful preparation, you will be able to streamline your evacuation process to protect your horses. Wildfire danger is a very real emergency that can have a huge impact on your horses. As a horse owner, it is important to keep them under consideration when you are thinking about wildfire danger.
Familiarize Them with Trailers
Ensure that your horses are familiar with their trailers, so that it will be easy to get them loaded in an emergency. The evacuation period is not when you need to be teaching your horse how to climb into the trailer. Take some extra time to get your horse used to the process of riding in the trailer.
Keep a First Aid Kit
It is essential to prepare a first aid kit before an emergency strikes. Keep this first aid kit in the trailer so that you don’t have to take extra time to find it when you are evacuating. By keeping your first aid kit close at hand, you will be better able to protect the health of your horses.
Brings Lots of Fresh Water
Water is incredibly important for both you and your horses. When you are gathering essentials for your evacuation, it is incredibly important to bring a lot of fresh water with you. This can help you to keep your horses hydrated and prevent them from becoming ill. Bringing water from home can also help you to ensure that you bring water that they are familiar with and are more likely to drink.
What if you Have to Leave Them?
In some situations, you may be unable to bring your horses with you. If this is the case, it may be necessary to set them loose if they won’t be safe from the wildfire. Before you do so, writing your phone number on them can help you to find them after the danger has passed. You also need to remove any plastic equipment from them. While you may think this will provide them with extra protection, it can melt and cause burns.
When you set them loose, you will want to ensure that you close any barn doors so that they don’t go back into the barn and become trapped. Removing the corners of the fence and leaving the gates open can enable your horses to find safety. If their vision is impacted by smoke, they will run along the fence line until they find one of the open corners.
Consider Evacuation Routes
When you already have your evacuation routes planned out, you won’t have to waste time deciding the best route to take. This will help you to make your evacuation process as efficient as possible. It will also allow you to ensure that you can take a particular evacuation route with a horse trailer.
Another important step in caring for your horses is ensuring that they remain hydrated. While dehydration is less extreme than a wildfire, it is no less deadly for your horse. Implementing an automatic waterer to your property can help you to ensure that your horse’s always have access to fresh, clean water. Our Bar Bar A automatic waterer can help you to keep your horses healthy and happy. To learn more about important care for your horses or the automatic waterers that we have available, contact us at Bar Bar A today!
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