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Dress Rehearsal

I’ve written several times on this blog about emergency preparedness, and the importance of being ready to evacuate if necessary.  I wanted to offer up useful information to all those poor unfortunate souls who might need to leave their homes at an inopportune time with their animals in tow. Other people. Poor sots. Not me, of course.

Until a week ago, when at 3:44 a.m. on Sunday October 27, the Nixle alert notified me that my number had come up. That number was 8, as in evacuation zone 8, which was now under mandatory evacuation due to the Kincade fire that had been raging for days several miles to the northeast. The fire was nowhere near my neighborhood. The evacuation was due to an anticipated “wind event” that could cause the fire to jump US Hwy 101, and if it did that, there was pretty much nothing besides fire fuel between the freeway and the Pacific Ocean, a corridor about 30-40 miles wide. And my home is in that corridor.

Our neighborhood had been under “evacuation warning” since late the previous afternoon, so there was time to prepare. My neighbor Laura and I had gone over the plan for getting the horses out—her 3 and my 2. But the fire was so far away that we weren’t even getting smoke from it, and there was no wind at all. In fact, it was a beautiful night.  That was a good thing, because it made the whole evacuation process a lot easier. PG&E had cut off the power at 8:00 p.m. the night before, so that did complicate things, since the whole evacuation was done by flashlight and lantern.

Things I had done right: The trailer was hitched up and pointed out the driveway. There was plenty of fuel in the tank. I had checked the tires and also checked out the trailer—lights, hooked up properly, etc. My horses load easily. Thanks to Laura and our fab friend Margi, we had a good place to go with the horses.

What I could have done better: I really didn’t think we would have to go, so while I had made a list of what to take, and made sure everything was lined up by the door, I hadn’t actually put much in the truck. So I was scrambling around at 4 a.m. loading hay, feed, water and feed tubs, and my own stuff and the cats’ stuff as well. I didn’t want to just have to unload it when they canceled the alert. The joke was on me, and I really scurried and hoped I didn’t forget anything. Words of advice: If you are under an evacuation alert, pack up everything. If you just have to unpack it later, count your blessings.

I pulled out with 2 horses behind me and 2 unhappy cats in the cab of the truck with me. I had a decision to make. This was a large evacuation. In total, nearly 200,000 people were evacuated over the course of the fire. Should I take the main highway out of town, or the back roads? I was afraid the back roads would be just as crowded as the highway, and with a less orderly group of evacuees. I chose the main highway.

Wrong decision. I was able to squeeze from the side street into the line of traffic, and then I sat there. And sat there. Movement was slower than a snail’s pace. The next road on the route was less than a quarter mile away, and it took half an hour to reach it. I took it. I know the roads around here very well, and I had a few options.

Traffic on the back roads was nearly nonexistent, so in the event of a “preemptive” evacuation, I’d recommend taking back roads that you know well. A “preemptive” evacuation is one done in anticipation of an emergency, not when things have gotten dire. If that had been the case, I would only take the back roads if I was darned sure I wouldn’t get trapped somewhere in the boonies. But we were clearly not in immediate danger so the back roads were the way to go.

By the way, about the preemptive evacuations…I thought that was kind of a dumb idea originally. Why disrupt everyone unless there was imminent danger? Why crowd the roads with people who had nowhere to go because there weren’t enough shelters to handle them all? But now that I have been on the road with horses and cats, I’m a fan. Yes the traffic was unreal. But, because we didn’t have flames licking at our tires and no sparks or embers were flying around, everyone was calm and remarkably courteous. We knew we were all in it together, and since we were still safe, nobody was panicked. Having the neighborhoods empty meant that if the fire did come through, the fire crews could work on the fire and not on saving people.  While the evacuation was a real, live event, the preemptive nature made it, in effect, a dress rehearsal.

I have to say, I’m proud of my horses. My Quarter Horse, Cowboy, is an experienced traveler and usually behaves well in the trailer (he does have his moments, though). Dublin, the Thoroughbred, has been a challenge. He loads beautifully. We’ve worked on that a lot, and he now goes willingly into the trailer. He’ll stand calmly in the trailer as long as I ask him to, and then he backs out politely. But when the trailer starts moving, it’s a different story. He generally tolerates it for about 5 minutes, and then he wants out. Immediately. Lots of pawing, the occasional kick, and sometimes a full-blown meltdown. Need I say that I was not looking forward to the evacuation experience, stuck in traffic with a squirrely horse?

But Dublin came through.  I believe I told him when I loaded him that his trailer issues were about #43 on my list of concerns at the moment and he needed to get over it. And he did. I got a couple of thunks from him, and then silence and stillness.  When we (finally) arrived at our destination about 20 miles away, he unloaded like a gentleman. He did have a couple small nicks on one rear pastern, but considering that I expected a river of blood to pour out of the trailer, that was nothing. I didn’t even look at it until days later, when it was healing beautifully.

We got the horses settled. Cowboy and Dublin scored a large pasture area next to Margi’s horses. As far as they were concerned, I had just brought them over for a spa vacation. Dublin immediately struck up a bromance with Margi’s gelding, stirring up some jealousy in Cowboy, who considers Dublin his personal minion.

I headed over to my brother’s house. I hadn’t warned him that I was coming but I knew his wife was visiting her brother in another state, and that they had a spare room. I hadn’t counted on him being gone and the house locked up.  His RV was unlocked, so I got the cats situated in there, stuck a big note on the RV door and taped it shut for good measure, unhitched the horse trailer, and went to Margi’s to meet up with Laura and figure out our next steps.

Laura and I did head back home because another neighbor’s horses needed to be evacuated. We took my trailer because it has a wide back door and it’s easier to load a skeptical horse. The neighbor gave us instructions and said it was the first driveway past a nursery and we’d see the covered arena.

We passed the nursery, saw the first driveway and the covered arena and turned in.

Wrong move. In reality, it was the second driveway we wanted, and now we were pretty much stuck in a fairly small yard that, as a bonus, was decorated with various planters and benches placed randomly around the yard.  The owners of the property were on their way out, but were very gracious and told us to take as much time as we needed to get turned around, and even moved a truck that might prove to be in the way.

Learning lesson: practice maneuvering your trailer! I’m barely competent at backing; actually, you might say I’m completely incompetent. I’m embarrassed to admit how many attempts it took to get turned around. It didn’t help that both Laura and I were punch-drunk by then and were not communicating very clearly about where the best spot was to turn around and which way to turn the wheel. But we made it and dropped off the horses.

Another learning lesson: be darned sure that you are turning in the right driveway before you commit yourself.

The next few days are still a blur. I did finally get hold of my brother later that first day. We aren’t terribly close and I didn’t even have his cell phone number. I finally got it from my sister, who lives north of the fire zone but was at a conference in L.A. and was supposed to be flying back that day to the Sonoma County Airport—which was closed except for the fire bombers. So she was trying to figure out her next steps and how to get her car, which was at the airport.

My brother had me take over the master bedroom with the cats (exceptionally generous of him, since he really doesn’t like cats, and now 2 of them were living in his bedroom), while he took the RV, leaving the guest room for my sister who might wind up there too. In fact, she did fly into SFO on Monday and took the airporter up. We were able to get her car by taking back roads to the airport and a kindly security guard freed her car from the lot, but it was so late by then that she also spent the night at my brother’s.  The three of us were together again! And just like old times, we barely saw each other. My brother is a taxidermist and works out of his garage, so that’s where he spent his time, I hung out with the cats, and my sister was checking email in the guest room. My brother said it was the best family reunion he’d ever attended. That’s what happens when you put a bunch of introverts together.

The evacuation order was lifted on Wednesday morning and as a bonus, the power came back on mid-afternoon. We hadn’t wanted to bring the horses home without power since we wouldn’t be able to get water from the well. We decided to go back on Thursday when we could get an earlier start to make all the trips we were going to need to make to move horses, cats, people, and then go back to clean up the horse facility, and we also picked up the neighbor’s horses and brought them home again. My boys loaded right up, waited patiently in the trailer while we loaded up the other horses, and rode home without a misstep.

So we were evacuated from Sunday through Wednesday and chose to come home Thursday. No harm done to the homes in our neighborhood, no lives lost.  After the horrendous loss of life and property from the Tubbs fire two years ago, officials were taking no chances and cleared the way in case firefighters needed to come in. Yes, it was inconvenient  but after seeing what can happen in a heartbeat during the Tubbs fire, I don’t think anybody is complaining too much (well, maybe about PG&E management. They may have some ‘splaining to do about a few things).

I’ve included most of my learnings from this experience, especially the horse-related ones, in this story, but here are a few less critical tidbits about personal care:

-Pack as many socks and undies as you can cram in your go bag.

-Pack more than one warm shirt. I thought one flannel shirt would be enough but I wore it every day, and after 5 days straight in the same black-and-white plaid shirt, I may never wear it again.

-Bring a clean jacket and pair of shoes in addition to your horse garb. You may need to run to town for a sandwich.

-Bring enough personal care items along to be comfortable. Nothing like looking in the mirror on day 3 and not recognizing the hag looking back at you. And remember to bring a mirror.

-Remember your phone charger, both for the car and for an electrical outlet. The phone was my lifeline, my main source of information.  I wasn’t able to tap into my brother’s WiFi so my laptop was useless.

-The radio was also a great source of information, so have a battery operated radio. The truck radio was a lifesaver, since many cell towers in the area were disabled due to the fire and the related electrical outages. I do have an emergency radio in my go kit that is both hand-crank and solar powered but I’ve never tested it, so that is on my to-do list.

And finally, a shout-out to all our guardian angels:

-Margi for her huge contribution to finding housing for horses, people and cats.

-Dave the property owner who took in 5 extra horses and put up with their owners with grace.

-My brother Neal for housing not only his little sisters but also my cats without complaining once.

-Parelli Natural Horsemanship for giving us the skills and knowledge to keep things cool with the horses

-Organizations such as Sonoma CART and the HALTER project for the training, info and all their rescue efforts

-and of course, all the first responders who, remembering the tragic Tubbs fire 2 years ago, swore “Not this time!” and battled the blaze with a thousand percent effort.  We are more grateful than words can express.

Fire and Rain—Are You and Your Trailer Evacuation-Ready?

The latest grim joke here in Sonoma County is that our new theme song is “Fire and Rain”—“I’ve seen fire and I’ve seen rain”…

After deadly and devastating wildfires in October 2017, and now massive flooding in February 2019, local residents are getting a bit edgy about natural disasters.  The floods have proven far less deadly than the fires. But in both cases, animal owners were faced with getting their animals out—fast. If you own a horse, that means loading up and heading out. But are you ready?

That’s what I asked myself yesterday while watching the news and social media posts crop up. And the answer is—not really. My trailer has been sitting immobile by the barn for probably nearly a year. I haven’t done much riding, and when I do go out, it’s in my riding buddy’s trailer. But if I needed to get my horses out fast, that trailer would need to be ready to go. My buddy’s trailer will be full of her own horses. That’s something to think about if you don’t own a trailer because you know you can borrow one in a pinch. If it’s an evacuation situation, you may not have one available to you.

Thankfully, I didn’t need to evacuate, or help anyone else evacuate, this time. But today I pulled out my trailer checklist and starting doing a maintenance check. Physically going through that checklist surfaced a few “gotchas”. I’m sharing them here as an example of little things that trip you up, and why it’s best to do this check in a non-emergency mode, because often the most routine tasks don’t go quite as you expected.

An obvious first step is to check the tire pressure. I did finally buy a portable air compressor and had checked the tires when I got it a few months ago, but now I couldn’t remember what the PSI should be. It is on the tire sidewall (maximum recommended at cold temps) but the pressure listed on the sidewall is not necessarily the pressure that is correct for the vehicle—my car tires have a much higher PSI listed on the sidewall than the car manufacturer recommends (my old tires didn’t even list PSI—they listed KPa which means Kilopascal, and I had to look up how to convert it—here’s a link https://www.unitconverters.net/pressure/kpa-to-psi.htm).  I had done research months ago about what the PSI for my trailer should be, but did I put that information anywhere useful? Like in the tack compartment? Apparently not. Finally I remembered that my trailer service guy had told me to inflate them to 50 PSI (sidewall says 65). So lesson 1—know what your tire pressure should be and post it somewhere useful. Today I printed it out on a label maker and stuck it to the inside of the tack compartment—it won’t fade and the label is waterproof. Also (and maybe it’s just me that has trouble with this), make sure you know how to use the pressure gauge and the compressor’s air nozzle. I always feel like I’m letting more air out than I’m getting in. AND remember to check the spare. That was the only tire that needed to be inflated during today’s check.  One thing to look for is missing valve stem caps. It’s a good idea to buy a pack and keep them on hand. This is the one item in the automotive world where one size fits all.

While you’re checking the pressure, give the tires a good looking over. Check for uneven wear, shallow tread depth, and sidewall damage, including sun damage. UV rays can really destroy your tires, causing cracking and breakdown of the rubber. It’s recommended that tires be replaced every 7 years even if the tread is good, mostly because of sun damage. I bought tire covers for mine to protect them from sun damage and hopefully get some extra wear from them.

Check the lug nuts for loose or missing lug nuts. Speaking of which—do you have a lug wrench handy?

On to checking the lights. One of the marker light lenses had blown off. It’s one of the original lenses and wouldn’t stay on when I tried to put it back where it belonged. This isn’t the first time this has happened with this trailer, and finally I bought a 10-pack of both red and amber lenses, so I had one handy. The replacements seem to stay put a lot better than the originals. So think about getting some spares to keep on hand. Even if yours stay on, I’ve had horses damage them if they get a bit squirrely while loading or while tied to the trailer.

Some of my marker lights were out. Interestingly enough, I had checked them last summer and more of them were out then than were out today. Self-healing marker lights, apparently. Three of them were still out. I got one to come back on by removing the lens and tapping the light fixture and jiggling the bulb, and it finally came on and stayed on. The other two seem to be non-operational. My plan is to buy replacement bulbs and see if that does the trick and if not, I’ll have them fixed when the trailer goes in for routine maintenance.

Other things that can go wrong with lights are fuses and wiring. Know where your fuses are and what kind they are and keep some spares on hand. If it’s a wiring problem, well, I leave it to the experts. I can tell a blue wire from a red wire and that’s where my expertise ends.

On to the breakaway brake battery. This is your trailer’s “emergency brake”. A cable gets looped over your hitch and if the trailer comes loose from the tow vehicle, the cable pulls a pin on the trailer that activates a battery operated brake. The batteries tend to go dead if the trailer sits a while (most are hooked into the trailer wiring system and the battery will re-charge when the tow vehicle is running). The battery can be tested with a battery tester. Alternatively, try pulling the pin manually and listen for the click as the trailer brakes go on. You can also pull the pin and then (gently) see if the tow vehicle can move the trailer.

The battery for my system appeared (not surprisingly) to be dead. I was feeling pretty smug because I just got a trickle charger for this purpose. On to the next humbling experience: I had never actually looked at the battery. It’s been either charged up or replaced during the routine maintenance checks but I’ve never looked at it myself. I just assumed it was the same type of battery in my last trailer that could be trickle charged using clamps. But the battery for this trailer has slip on cables and neither of the attachments that came with the trickle charger appear to connect to it. So I still need to figure this one out but the batteries don’t seem to be that expensive so I may just replace it. Or drive around with the trailer empty and see if the battery charges up again–obviously not the best plan

Next step: check the trailer floor. I do this periodically and it’s always been fine, so I was a little surprised to see that the boards were wet under the mats, and in fact had some mud wedged between the mats and the trailer wall. The trailer is aluminum so fortunately there was no rust, and the floor boards don’t seem to have any rot in spite of being wet, but the mats are now pulled up and the floor is airing out. Thankfully the rains have stopped for a couple days so with luck those boards will dry out. Incidentally, if your trailer floor is aluminum, it still needs to be checked. If urine accumulates under the mat, the aluminum can corrode.

Also check the rubber mats on the sides of the trailer and make sure they are secure. I had a horse pull one part way down and rip it, and I know of one person who got to her destination to discover that the side mat had come down sometime during the haul. Fortunately, she had a calm horse who seemed more surprised than concerned, but he did have to straddle it during that trip.

My trailer has an additional “feature” (read: curse) in the form of a crank-up skylight in the tack compartment. Sounds nice, but in fact the plastic cover is definitely not UV resistant and doesn’t seem to last very long. I got it replaced 4 years ago but when I checked it today, sure enough, it has cracks in it, and I have water on my tack compartment floor. Replacement for this cover runs around $350 so that’s where the curse comes in. Note to self: see if it can be replaced with a metal cover. There is a window in the door so the extra light from the skylight isn’t all that significant. When the plastic cracks, it tends to shatter and blow off, so I’d like to spare the driver behind me from having it blown back at him. Plus I’m pretty sure that would get me a ticket.

Tomorrow I’ll be going over the trailer some more, checking the condition of the windows, vents, latches, etc. I leave tasks like packing the wheel bearings and checking the undercarriage to my trailer maintenance specialist.

Of course, your tow vehicle should also be gone over regularly as well. Some handy things to keep in your tow vehicle include a tool kit, flares or, preferably, weighted reflective triangles, extra fuses, hose repair tape, ties, jumper cables (be sure they are rated for your vehicle), flashlights, and chocolate (just seeing if you’re paying attention).

Things to keep in your trailer: extra halters and lead ropes, buckets, tire repair tools (I have a drive-on ramp instead of a jack for the trailer—if a tire goes flat, drive the good tire on the same side up on the ramp for easy changing https://amzn.to/2SChguq), duct tape, first aid kit (check contents regularly), nitrile gloves, baby wipes, a hose, fire extinguisher…the list goes on and on.

That’s just the list of trailer maintenance tasks. Other considerations that are equally important and topics in their own right:

  • Does your horse load willingly and calmly into the trailer? This is not an issue to tackle during an evacuation! Train your horse to do this before it becomes a non-negotiable. People have lost their horses because they couldn’t get them in the trailer in a pinch, or the horse became injured in a frantic scramble.
  • Can you competently maneuver your trailer? I have to admit I’m not really there. I can get the trailer where I want it, but it’s not a pretty process. There’s one for my “Goals” list.
  • Do you and your animals have “go packs” set up and ready to go? Do you have a plan for packing up feed, water, and other necessities?
  • Do you have a plan for identifying your horse if you become separated in an emergency? Microchipping, marking your horse with a livestock crayon, clipping, tagging, etc. I’ve seen examples of people marking their horses hooves with a marking pen, but that can get worn off or covered with mud so have a backup method.

This information sure doesn’t come under the heading of “fun with your horse”, but it does lead to peace of mind, and that’s worth a lot!

Choosing a Horse Blanket

Blankets are on my mind lately, for a few reasons. I live in coastal Northern California, and I don’t show, so the horses only get blanketed when it really gets cold. Like this last week for instance. The blankets had come back from the cleaner’s months ago and had been stored, still in the plastic bags, on a shelf. When I unpacked my thoroughbred, Dublin’s, blanket, it was obvious pretty quickly that I had not gotten Dublin’s blanket back. It was obvious because I’m cheap when it comes to blankets, and the outside of Dublin’s blanket feels a bit like sandpaper, and this blanket had a luxurious cashmere feel to it. Yes, I got a MUCH nicer blanket back. Unfortunately, it seems to belong to some enormous warmblood instead of my short-backed Thoroughbred and is at least 8” too long. (Yes, I put it on him even though it wasn’t mine. It was cold and he needed a blanket and I was out of options.)

Lesson #1: When you get your blanket back from the cleaner’s, do a quick check to make sure it’s the right blanket. I’m sure somebody has really been missing this beautiful blanket for a while now. The cleaner has located my blanket and we’ll be doing a swap.

Lesson #2: It doesn’t hurt to have a spare blanket on hand. This morning I discovered that my Quarter Horse, Cowboy, tore a strap off his blanket and tore the entire side of the blanket in the process. So, handily, when I return the one blanket, I can take Cowboy’s in for repair at the same time. That still leaves me a blanket short.

That gorgeous blanket did, however, open my mind to the possibility that there may be something to paying a little more for a blanket. Yes, I have blanket shame.  In the interest of finding out what kind of bank I can get for my blanket buck, I did some research, and here’s what I found out about selecting a horse blanket.

SIZE MATTERS

First thing to determine is what size blanket your horse wears. It helps to have a friend help you with this because you need to put a tape measure (you’ll need something at least 7’ long) on your horse, with one end in the center of his chest and then measure around the side, over the point of the butt, to the center of the tail. Select that size or the next size up. Some blanket manufacturers size their blankets in even inches (74”, 76”, 78” etc) and some go every 3 inches (72”, 75”, 78”).

TYPES OF BLANKETS

There are basically 3 types of blankets: sheets, stable blankets, and turnout blankets.

  • Sheets provide lightweight coverage to provide a little bit of heat, can protect from sun fade, or help keep a horse clean
  • Stable blankets are designed to provide warmth to a horse kept in a stable. They aren’t waterproof and aren’t designed to protect a horse from the elements. In fact, if they are exposed to rain or snow, they can soak up moisture and make your horse colder.
  • Turnout blankets are the warmest and most durable for horses that are outside and exposed to the elements. The material is generally tougher and usually waterproof. The design is typically a bit roomier and allow more freedom of movement.

WEIGHT

Blankets are commonly described as light, medium or heavy weight. The difference is the amount of “fill”, the stuffing inside the blanket. Light weight blankets have little to no fill, medium weight blankets have around 200 grams of fill, and heavy weight blankets generally have more than 300 grams of fill.

Some guidelines for selecting the right weight:

Termperature Horse with Natural Coat Horse that is Body Clipped
50-60o F Sheet Light Blanket
40-50o F Light Blanket Light/Medium Blanket
30-40o F Light/Medium Blanket Medium/Heavy Blanket
20-30o F Medium/Heavy Blanket Heavy/Medium w/blanket liner
Below 20o F Heavy Heavy w/blanket liner

SHELL STRENGTH (“DENIER”) AND MATERIALS

The strength of the outer shell of the horse blanket is described as “denier”, which refers to the thickness of the thread in the material. The higher the number, the tougher the material.

Nylon is strong, resilient and stain resistant, but expensive. Polyester is more affordable and lighter weight but not as strong. A blend is often a good choice.

Denier Strength
210 Very Light
420 Light
600 Medium
1200 Heavy
1680 Extra Heavy
2100 Super Heavy

STYLE MATTERS, TOO

Once you’ve figured out what size, weight and denier you need, it’s time for style considerations. There are different cuts, hardware and fastening types.

Some features include Teflon coating to repel dirt, shoulder gussets for more freedom of movement, leg arches (also for freedom of movement) taped seams for extra water-proofing, tail flaps, wither relief pad, and reflective strips. You can get detachable neck covers (if you buy a neck cover separately, it should match the blanket so that the attachments are aligned). Front closures include straps, snaps or closed fronts, which need to be slipped over the horse’s head.

And of course, you get to pick the color that complements your horses beauty! Blankets come in a wide variety of colors and patterns. Cowboy, for example is stunning in his neon pink-and-purple leopard print blanket. One advantage of picking a unique color is that you are pretty sure you have the right blanket when it gets back from the cleaner.

Blanket hardware isn’t something that seems to get a lot of attention in blanket catalog descriptions but it’s worth paying attention to. Look at the fasteners on the blanket you are considering and decide if that’s a system that will be easy for you.  Snaps should open and close smoothly, buckles should be easy to fasten but not so loose that they come undone, and the “T” style buckles that typically fasten the surcingle straps (under the belly) should be a good weight and rustproof. Make sure the hardware is maintained, not bent, and works well before blanketing your horse. If you have to struggle to put the blanket ON your horse, it’s not going to get any easier by the time you want to take it OFF, and your horse may not be in a cooperative mood by then. Hardware seems to be pretty standard on most blankets, so you’ll need to do your part by keeping it all clean, getting it dry when not in use to avoid rust, and oiling snaps to keep them operating smoothly.

MAINTAINING YOUR BLANKET

Over-washing can damage the integrity of your blanket. During the season, spot cleaning with a stiff brush will usually do. Avoid bleach—it can damage the fabric and the straps. Dry them on a line or over a fence, where sun and wind can help with the drying process. I try to get them out of the sun as soon as they are dry as I’ve found the UV rays can weaken the fabric and the webbing straps.  At the end of “blanket season”, send them out for professional cleaning, where they have the right washing machines and drying tools to avoid damage to both your blanket and the washing machine (I washed a horse blanket in my mom’s washing machine. Once. Never made that mistake again.) These services can also generally make any needed repairs to your blanket.

During the season, when the blanket is being used, it can be stored on a blanket bar, on a rack or hung from a hook to keep them off the ground. Once the season is over, and you have the blanket back from the cleaner, it can be stored in the bag provided by the cleaner (after verifying that it is, indeed, your blanket!) or placed in your own plastic storage bag and placed on a shelf or in a trunk. This will keep it clean and away from critters while it’s not in use.

Replacement hardware and straps are generally available from tack stores, both local and online.

SUMMARY

Hopefully you have found some helpful information here to help you shop for your next blanket. Clearance sales for blankets should be showing up any time, so use this info to figure out what you need and you’ll be ready to pounce on the specials!

Ten Winter Horse Activities

Sleigh

The holidays are over, days are short, and spring is nowhere in sight. It’s definitely harder to find riding opportunities in winter.  But that doesn’t mean there’s nothing to do. This is a great time to learn new skills, improve the old ones, catch up on maintenance, and plan for some fun in the warmer months to come. Here are some suggestions to get you started and get the creative juices flowing so you can come up with some of your own horse-y winter activities.

  1. Mix up some treats for your horse. Here are some recipes to try: http://www.simplypets.com/pet-recipes/Horse/Treat. Or better yet, try our Peppermint Horse Treats
  2. Catch up on the books and videos that were gathering dust over the summer. Or shop for some new ones. Pick a skill you’ve been wanting to learn or a horsemanship area you want to improve and invest some time in education
  3. Give your horse a massage. If you’re not sure how, here’s a link to an article that can get you started: http://www.thehorse.com/articles/10502/massage-while-you-groom
  4. Clean your tack.
  5. Practice taking your horse’s temperature, pulse and respiration (TPR). Get familiar with what’s normal for your horse.
  6. Organize your barn and tack room. Don’t forget your brush bucket! Your grooming tools can use a good cleaning from time to time. Go through your first aid kit and properly dispose of any meds that are out of date, and replace them.
  7. Make your list of horse-related New Year’s Resolutions. Develop a plan of action to help you keep them. Put the action plan on your calendar.
  8. Read up on saddle fit and evaluate your saddle.
  9. Check your horse’s teeth.
  10. Decide on some stable improvements you’d like to make during the coming year. Make a plan and calendar them.

These suggestions can help keep you connected with your horse and bolster your motivation during the cold dark days of winter, and get you better prepared for the warm weather fun that’s on its way!

Leaving Your Horse in Someone Else’s Care

Vacation Beach

So you are planning a vacation without your horse. The first question that comes to mind is, WHY? Why would you do such a thing? Is it really a vacation if you aren’t packing up your rig and Fluffy the horse and heading cross-country to a clinic 1,000 miles away?

OK, I get it. Everyone needs some time away from the “kids”. And of course you have arranged for Fluffy to be fed, watered, and loved on a bit. What could go wrong?

Well…let me share with you the experience a friend had recently. This friend admires horses but has not spent time around them and is not comfortable or familiar with them. Nevertheless, some of her friends decided that she would be the ideal person to take care of their horse while they are away. They’ve made several trips and all went well. Until the last trip, when the horse came down with colic.

Now fortunately, my friend has spent enough time around the neighborhood horses that she did recognize that this was a problem. But guess what? a) She did not know the name of their veterinarian. b) When a veterinarian was tracked down, my friend did not know the age of the horse or any of its medical history. c) If the horse had needed to be transported, there was no way to make that happen. And the final insult, d), the veterinarian was not prepared to extend credit to the owners, and my friend, who has limited means, was forced to come up with payment for the treatment. And on top of all this, she is, of course, not comfortable with handling any horse, much less a sick one.

So there is the answer to “what could possibly go wrong?”. And in this case, the horse responded to treatment, it did not have to be transported, and the veterinarian was paid, so things could have been much worse.

So, when you leave town without Fluffy in tow, here are a few pointers:

-Get a qualified, experienced, reliable person to take care of your horse.

-Leave documents in the horse’s stable area noting the horse’s name, age, medical history, and who to contact in case of emergency. It’s a good idea to have this in the stable area ANYWAY as part of your emergency preparedness plan.

-Notify your veterinarian that you will be out of town and who will be tending your horse and how much authority they have to make decisions on your behalf.

-Make a payment arrangement in advance with your veterinarian–either they agree to extend credit, you leave them a deposit, or leave them with a credit card number.

-Make sure transportation is available for the horse. If you have a rig and the person tending the horse is qualified and comfortable with driving it, have it hooked up, fueled up, and pointing in the right direction. Otherwise, make arrangements in advance with someone who can provide transportation.

-Make sure your horse will load in the trailer!

-Leave your contact information. If you are truly going to be incommunicado, make sure the horse’s caregiver is capable of making tough decisions, or have a backup person available who is.

And once all this is done, NOW you may go on vacation!

Trailering Notes

I’ve had my horse trailer for several years and used it very little. I almost always ride with a neighbor who has a nicer rig and who likes to drive, so my rig is mostly parked. Recently, though, I’ve started taking some lessons and that means I trailer my horse to the lesson place, and the trailer has come out of retirement.

That means the trailer has needed some assessment and attention that, really, should be done on a regular basis whether or not it is being used. You can never tell when you will need it for an emergency, be it a trip to the veterinary hospital or an evacuation, so it should be ready for action at all times.

Some of the basics include pulling up the mats and checking the floors, making sure the lights and brakes are in working order (and the brakes are adjusted properly), checking the emergency brake battery, and of course, checking the tires.

Tires are a particular challenge for me because, honestly, I’ve never been good at using a tire gauge. The minute the thing starts hissing at me, I just want to pull it off the stem. OK, I’m a wuss. But I did manage to ignore the hissing and actually get it seated properly to get an accurate reading, which was way too low. Fortunately, I have one of those portable battery chargers/air compressors and was able to get the tires, (including the spare–don’t forget the spare!) properly inflated. Figuring out proper inflation was a little tricky. This is printed on the sidewall of the tires, and I was looking for a “PSI” number, but my tires happen to have the inflation printed in “KPa” and not “PSI” so it took a while to figure out what number I was looking for. Then I had to go online to figure out the conversion to PSI. By the way, if you divide your “KPa” number by 7, you get the approximate PSI. In my case, it was 60 PSI.

The tires on the trailer are the original tires but have very few miles on them so the tread is great. A bigger concern is the fact that the trailer sits still so much, and sun exposure tends to cause sidewall cracks. There are a few minor cracks and I’ll be looking into replacing the tires soon. I also purchased some tire covers online. These are pretty inexpensive (I think I paid about $35 to cover all the tires) and you can buy covers to cover the tandem wheels on the trailer. Be sure to check the size. I got the “Small” size which fits my 15″ rims. Of course, check the specs on the particular covers you are buying. The covers should protect the tires from sun exposure and extend their life. Remember to take them off before moving the trailer! Yes, that sounds obvious, but still…And if you think that the sidewalls won’t blow out from sitting too much, think again. A neighbor borrowed my little-used pickup and the sidewall blew out on the freeway on a rather high bridge.

In the event of a flat, there is tool that will make your life a lot easier. This is a drive-on tool that elevates the good tire on the same side of the trailer so that the flat can be removed, eliminating the need for a jack. The brand name of the one I bought is Trailer-Aid, which seems to be the industry leader. One tip I learned a long time ago for changing tires is to loosen the lug nuts BEFORE raising the tire off the ground. It can eliminate a lot of tire spinning while you are trying to get those lug nuts loose! Speaking of which, make sure you have a lug nut wrench that fits your wheels, and that you know where it is and how to get to it. Smart idea to practice ahead of time.

If all this seems boring and excessive, let me share a story. While riding at a local recreation area, we encountered an acquaintance whose trailer had gotten sideswiped while leaving the parking lot. It blew out one tire completely (fortunately, that was the worst damage). She limped the rig back to the lot and there she found out how many things can go wrong. She did not have a jack. Her spare tire was flat. She couldn’t get hold of her husband.

Fortunately, my riding companion is “Miss Preparedness” and had the Trailer Aid. We helped the woman find a lug nut wrench that worked with her tires, and then we were able to remove the flat. That’s when we found out the spare was flat. Enter the park ranger, who had the portable compressor in his vehicle. We were able to inflate the spare, which thankfully held air, change the tire, and get the rig rolling again. But it took a team of people with the right equipment. (By the way, if you think the Highway Patrol is going to live up to the “To Protect and To Serve” motto and help out with this operation, you are wrong. They are not allowed to assist. Especially the seemingly 12-year-old officer who showed up for this event).

If all this has put you in the mood for shopping, here’s a pic of the tire cover and of the Trailer Aid, both purchased through Amazon. The tire cover is surprisingly easy to put on and take off.

Trailer cover and TrailerAid

One other item I bought is a cap for the trailer plug. “Stuff” tends to get in the holes in the plug and I’ve know people who blew fuses while plugging in the trailer, usually because some bug has taken up residence inside the plug. Really slows you down, and not so good for the bug either. The cap can keep the plug dry and clean. And make the world a little safer for bugs.

Your Horse Needs a Passport

PassportThe last few months have served as a reminder that we should all be prepared for a disaster. Fires, earthquakes, flooding, hurricanes have enormous potential to create emergency situations for people, pets and livestock.  Horses present a unique set of problems due to their size. One of those problems is that, in case evacuation is necessary, the potential for separation from their owners is great.

One step you can take to help re-unite you with your horse in the unspeakable event of separation is to create a passport for your horse–in fact, a passport system. This would consist of an identification sheet for your horse, and smaller versions that can be attached to your horse in an emergency if there is potential for separation.

The contents of the information sheet should be detailed and include photos of your horse with yourself (to establish ownership). Photos should include details of any identifying marks such as brands, tattoos, scars, etc.

Seriously consider microchipping your horse and registering the microchip. There are a variety of registries. See the previous post in this blog for more details. The microchip number should be included on the information sheet and also on the passport.

Other information on the ID sheet should include the horse’s name (registered and stable name), registration number, your name, address and phone number, medical information. Coggins information including a the certificate should be placed in a plastic ziploc bag with the ID sheet (DO NOT keep the Coggins certificate with the horse in case of separation–it can be used to claim ownership).

Some of the information on the ID sheet should be on a smaller tag that can be attached to the horse if separation seems possible. This tag should include a photo, the horse’s name, your name and contact information, and medication information. This can be inserted into a luggage tag and braided into the horse’s mane or tail. It’s a good idea to practice this technique in advance so you’re sure it is secure!

Other ways to mark your horse for identification in an emergency include using a livestock-marking crayon to write your information on your horse’s coat, using clippers to shave your phone number onto the horse, marking hooves with permanent color marker (“my horse has blue hooves”), leg bands, neck collars such as those used in broodmare operations, and halter tags. If you put a halter on your horse in an emergency, leather works best as it will break if the horse gets caught in something.

The ID sheet and tags should be laminated to protect them in a chaotic emergency situation. Store them where you know you can get to them easily in an emergency! Review them periodically to see if the data needs to be updated–put a review date on your calendar every few months.

Nobody wants to think about being separated from their animals and you may think you would simply never leave them, but it’s impossible to anticipate what may happen in an emergency. Knowing you have a plan in case of separation is a part of your emergency plan designed to give you some peace of mind.

Microchip Day!

Today the horses got microchipped, part of our emergency preparedness plan. This is a good idea for all your companion animals and involves implanting a readable device under the skin which can be scanned for identification purposes in the event of separation during a disaster, or theft.

Once chipped, you will get a bar code label with the chip number on it–you will probably get several copies. One should go in the horse’s permanent file, one can be used to make a horse “passport” for the barn or to take traveling, and another can be put in your emergency evacuation kit.

There are various organizations which will register the chip number. Unfortunately, there is no “one” central database. Building a local database would be a good suggestion for your county’s emergency services unit!

The largest independent registration for equine microchips appears to be the Equine Protection Registry through Microchip ID Equine. You can register your horse’s microchip at this site for a fee of $19.50.  I can also register that microchip with the same registry that has my cat’s info, so if you already have a microchipped pet, check with that registry. It’s convenient to have all that info in the same place! The cat’s registry is Petlink. There is a fee of $19.99, which seems to be standard.

The microchips give us a bit more peace of mind about our horses’ safety. The only horse who did not get a chip is my Thoroughbred, Dublin, who has a legible lip tattoo through the Jockey Club. If your horse has a tattoo, you may not need a microchip–but be sure that the tattoo is legible and your horse will allow someone to look at it! And that you are the registered owner of the horse.