10 Tips to Create an Emergency Care Team for Your Horses

Last spring, I had two different events when I was suddenly unable to care for my horses.  First, the unexpected death of my father in England had me flying there that day with no idea how long I would be away.   About a month later, a horse jumped on my foot breaking my toe and causing severe soft tissue damage that prevented me from walking for several days.  Fortunately, I have a great Emergency Care Team which kicked into gear on both occasions to help look after the 12 horses on my farm.   

It doesn't have to be the death or illness of a loved one or your own illness or injury that causes the need for an Emergency Care Team.  An unexpected snow storm, transit delays or a car break down could delay or prevent you from getting home to feed your horses.  Whether it’s for a few hours, days or weeks, having an Emergency Care Team in place can give you one less thing to worry about in a difficult situation.

You need a plan in place that can be initiated by making one phone call in case of emergency.  Follow these 10 tips to create your own plan and Emergency Care Team for your horses and pets.

1. Ask 2 or 3 people to be your Emergency Care Team.  Have a contact chain so that you only have to contact one person and he or she will contact the others.  Have each of their contact information in your cell phone and make sure they each have the other’s information, as well. 
2. Spend some time showing each of your Emergency Care Contacts how the feeding and chores are done for your animals.  Make sure they are comfortable and competent handling your horses and pets to find out there are any problems. 
3. If you have house pets that will also need care in your absence, make sure your Emergency Team (or at least one member) has access to a house key.
4. Keep your Horse Care and Feeding Instructions posted or in a binder in your feed room and keep the information up to date.  Include feed, hay, supplements, medications and any special needs. Include phone numbers for your veterinarian and, if you board other people’s horses, the owners contact information.  I post a similar list for my house pets on the fridge in my kitchen.
5. Have a list with clear descriptions of each horse and pet (include photos if possible).  For the horses, include their paddock, stall and owner’s information.
6. Have one diagram of the farm lay-out showing where the paddocks are and which horses go where.  Have another diagram of the stalls in the barn.   Numbering the paddocks and stalls can help with this.  For example, Thunder goes in Stall #1 and is turned out in paddock #3 with Lightning. I have 4 bay mares that all share one paddock.  The oldest mare has to be separated from the other 3 because she gets different feed.  So it’s important that the helper is able to identify her
7. Make sure all horse and pet feed, supplements and medication are clearly marked.  I have 2 different pelleted feeds that look very much alike.  Don’t assume someone who is not familiar with your type of feed can tell them apart.  Give very detailed descriptions and locations.
8. Whenever you change the feed or turn out regimen for the horses be sure to update the instructions in your barn.  Getting the wrong feed or missing medication could have devastating consequences.
9. Prepare your instructions as if the person has never been to your home or farm before.  Break everything down to the smallest step and include reminders to check and fill water bowls, buckets and troughs at each feeding, lock gates, close stall and barn doors, turn off lights, which measure to use for feed and how many flakes of hay each horse gets at each feeding, timing of feedings, etc.  Be overly detailed.  In this case, too much information is better than not enough. 
10. Have a backup plan for horses or pets that are difficult to handle, are prone to colic or have other special needs.  Can the horses be left outside or in their stalls for a couple of days?  Can the dog be taken to a kennel or the home of someone they know well? I always tell my farm sitters that as long as the horses have hay and water, they’ll be fine for a few days.  It’s better to not feed grain than to give them the wrong feed.

Having an Emergency Care Team in place will ensure all the basic needs of your horses and pets will always be taken care of.  It will give you peace of mind when you are dealing with an already difficult and stressful situation.

In the comments below, share your experiences where you needed an Emergency Care Team for your horses or pets.


If you would like to help share these horse keeping tips with people who keep their horses at home, please share this blog with 5 friends, send a Tweet or post on your Facebook page. The horses thank you. 

You are welcome to use this article in your newsletter or blog as long as you include my credit information: Written by Anne Gage, Confident Horsemanship (www.annegage.com). I would also appreciate it if you’d send me a copy for my media files.

Anne Gage Confident Horsemanship www.annegage.com www.facebook.com/ConfidentHorsemanshp www.twitter.com/AnneGage

Teach Your Horse to Take Oral Medicine Willingly

If you've been looking after your horses at home for any length of time, you've probably experienced this scenario or something similar to it.

You hide the tube of de-wormer, Omeprizol, clenbutoral, bute, or some other medication that must be given orally through a syringe.   You put on your horse's halter, stroke his neck and speak softly to him.  But as soon as you pull out the syringe, your horse does his best imitation of a giraffe or pulls away from you and hides his head in the corner of his stall.

If you manage to get the syringe in his mouth, you both end up wearing more of the liquid than ends up in his mouth.  Did he get enough?  Should you try to give him another dose?

Here's a tip to get your horse to willingly take his medicine.  Every day, give him something tasty from a syringe.  Apple sauce, apple juice  or molasses all work well.  If something he likes comes out of that tube, you'll have a hard time stopping him from taking it.

If the problem is with de-wormer, then he'll be getting the yummy treat everyday for 3 months or more before he gets the nasty tasting stuff.  He'll remember the good experience in the long run.

I once had to give a very young foal oral medication - twice a day for several days.  She was only a few days old when it started.   As young as she was, she was not halter broke and she was feisty.   She was not opposed to using her hooves - front or back - to defend herself.  I needed to find a way to make this process easy for both of us.  She had ulcers so adding stress to her life was definitely not helpful.  She also was very accurate with her little hooves and I didn't need to deal with that stress - or potential injury.  Cute little baby hooves are very sharp and pack a powerful punch.

I put some molasses in the syringe making sure there was some on the outside.  After introducing her to the irresistible taste of molasses from my finger, I offered her the syringe.  Yummy!! She took it all and was looking for more.  So, I layered molasses, medicine, molasses in the syringe.  Every day, twice a day she eagerly took the syringe - I didn't have to hold or restrain her in any way.  Easy peasy.

If your horse has a metabolic disorder that is adversely affected by sugar than you might want to replace the molasses with another yummy treat like home made apple sauce (just cook the apples without adding any sugar).

What tips do you have for getting your horse to willingly take nasty tasting stuff from a syringe?   What other creative treats would you put in an oral syringe?  Share your ideas in the comments.

If you would like to help share these horse keeping tips with people who keep their horses at home, please share this blog with 5 friends, send a Tweet or post on your Facebook page. The horses thank you. You are welcome to use this article in your newsletter or blog as long as you include my credit information: Written by Anne Gage, Confident Horsemanship (www.annegage.com). I would also appreciate it if you’d send me a copy for my media files.
Anne Gage Confident Horsemanship www.annegage.com www.facebook.com/ConfidentHorsemanshp www.twitter.com/AnneGage

What Every Horse Owner Should Have in Your Equine Emergency First Aid Kit

Whether you board your horse or keep him at home, as a horse owner you need to be prepared to deal with potential injury or illness your horse might suffer.  Having your own well stocked first aid box means you will always have basic supplies on hand to deal with minor injuries or help your horse until the vet arrives.

Store your kit in a waterproof container like a metal or plastic tool box or Rubbermaid box.  You may want to have one main kit to keep in the barn and a smaller more portable one to take when you go trail riding or travel to a show.

You don't have to break your budget to set up your first aid kit.  Many items can be purchased at the grocery, drug or discount store.

• Digital Thermometer - normal temperature for an adult horse is between 37.2 and 38.3C (99.0 and 101.5F)
• Stethoscope for listening to heart or gut sounds. Your horse's heartbeat can be heard most clearly just behind his left elbow.

Click here for information on normal horse temperature, heart rate and breathing rate.

• Absorbent padding like gamgee padding, gauze or disposable diapers, or sanitary pads for bandaging cuts. Disposable diapers are great on knees, hocks and feet.
• Duct tape works well as a hoof wrap, to hold on a loose shoe or to secure stable bandages
• Zinc Oxide Ointment (diaper rash cream) for sunburn and minor cuts/scrapes
• Epsom salts mixed with water for rinsing cuts/scrapes or made into a poultice for drawing out infection
• Antiseptic wound cleaner such as iodine (brand names such as Betadine and Hibitane)
• Antibiotic cream encourages healing of wounds by keeping the skin moist and clean. 
• Saline solution for flushing eyes and cleaning wounds
• Hot/Cold Gel Pack (Microwave or Freeze) for injuries with swelling, heat or soft tissue damage.
• Bandage scissors for removing bandages without cutting your horse in the process
• Fence Wire Cutter to free a horse tangled in wire or fencing
• Clean sponges and/or towels for washing injuries
• Vaseline for preventing scalding below an oozing wound or lubricating a thermometer
• Large Ziplock type freezer bags to store and keep materials organized & clean
• Plastic wrap for leg sweats
• Small flash light and spare batteries

Other items for your first aid kit can be found at your local tack, farm or feed supply store:

• Self sticking bandage (eg. 3M Vetrap 4" X 5 yd Roll ) 
• Standing bandages and cottons for soft tissue leg injuries and wounds
• Antiseptic wash such as Hibitane or Chlorhexidine
• Blood clotting product such as WonderDust
• Hoof pick
• A First Aid Reference Book 

• A small notebook to record vital signs and other information you want to tell the vet.

Include a card or sheet with emergency contact numbers including yours, your vet's, your farrier, your insurance company as well as the street address and directions to the stable.  Seal the card or sheet in plastic and tape it to the inside of the lid of your first aid box.

Dealing with a sick or injured horse is stressful enough without scrambling to find supplies or finding you don't have them.  Keeping a well stocked, organized and easily accessible first aid kit is well worth the effort.

If you would like to help share these horse keeping tips with people who keep their horses at home, please share this blog with 5 friends, send a Tweet or post on your Facebook page. The horses thank you. You are welcome to use this article in your newsletter or blog as long as you include my credit information: Written by Anne Gage, Confident Horsemanship (www.annegage.com). I would also appreciate it if you’d send me a copy for my media files.
 Anne Gage Confident Horsemanship
 www.annegage.com 
www.facebook.com/ConfidentHorsemanshp 
www.twitter.com/AnneGage

5 Reasons for Using Slow Feeder Hay Nets for Your Horses

The horses' digestive system is designed to eat small, frequent meals so that food moves continuously through the digestive tract.  For horses that live on pasture 24/7, this is not an issue.  Unfortunately, most domestic horses don't have access to this type of grazing, many can't cope with high quantities of grass and not many properties have healthy pasture to offer them.   So, most horses are fed larger meals less frequently.  When horses go for even a couple of hours without food, they can suffer insulin spikes and there is a build up of gastric acid in their guts.  This acid is the cause of damage to the digestive tract, ulcers, cribbing, and wood chewing.

Slow feeder hay nets are an economical way to encourage your horse eat in a way that more closely imitates grazing.  Here are 5 reasons for using slow feeder hay nets:

1. Save money and hay.  The slow feeder hay nets stop hay from being wasted by being trampled and soiled with manure and urine.
2. Stops your horse gorging at feeding times.  Eating more slowly makes the hay last 2-3 times longer and imitates grazing behaviour.
3. Horses eat at a more natural level.  The small holes (1 1/2" to 2") allows the nets to be put on the ground or hung low.  If your horse has shoes, it best to hang the nets up high enough that your horse won't step on it and get his show caught in the netting.
4. Saves you time.  A full bale hay net can last one horse 24 hours so you don't have to feed as frequently.
5. keeps your horse healthier.  By having hay available more frequently the gastric acid that causes stomach upsets such as ulcers and colic is reduced.

When you first introduce your horses to slow feeder hay nets, make sure there is loose hay available as well. It takes them a day or two to learn to adjust how they eat.  Hungry horses who are used to gorging themselves will paw the nets or bite through the netting.  As they adjust, they use their lips to pull the hay through the holes.  

Tying the net inside a box or a tractor tire helps stop the horses from pawing the net, keeps it out of the mud and manure and allows your horses to eat at a natural height.

Slow feeder hay nets come in several different sizes:

• small ones to hold a few flakes (good for ponies & minis)
• small square bale
• large square bale
• round bale

I originally started using the slow feeder hay nets for my insulin resistant horse.  It was easy to soak his hay in the net, hang it to drain and then keep him happy for a few hours with a few flakes of hay.  Because insulin resistant horses are also hungry all the time, he was happier because he had in front of him for longer periods of time.  

I liked how it worked so well that I bought a few small square bale sized nets for feeding the 3 geldings that live out 24/7.  One is allergic to dust so I can't give them a round bale.  He also has had ulcers in the past, so keeping food in front of him more often is much healthier for him.   I spread the hay nets around their paddock and away from their water trough to encourage them to move around rather than standing in one place all day and night.  Now, they prefer to eat from the hay nets than from loose hay.

With the drought this summer and the scarcity of hay, I just bought a round bale net.  It took the mares 2 days longer to finish the round bale than without the net.  That's going to save a few round bales this winter.  And, there was absolutely no wasted hay.  I was already using a Duplessis hay feeder and now with the slow feeder net, the results are even better.

You can save more money by buying the netting to make your own hay nets.  For my North American readers, this company is located in Welland, Ontario, Canada and ships across North America.

For the DIYers, you can build many different styles of feeders from scratch or from materials around your farm.  Check out the ideas on Paddock Paradise for photos, videos and instructions.

Give the slow hay feeders a try and share your experiences by posting a comment below.

If you would like to help share these horse keeping tips with people who keep their horses at home, please share this blog with 5 friends, send a Tweet or post on your Facebook page.  The horses thank you.

 

You are welcome to use this article in your newsletter or blog as long as you include my credit information:

Written by Anne Gage, Confident Horsemanship (www.annegage.com).  I would also appreciate it if you’d send me a copy for my media files.

 

Anne Gage

Confident Horsemanship

www.annegage.com

www.facebook.com/ConfidentHorsemanshp

www.twitter.com/AnneGage