Disaster Preparedness- 24 Step Plan

Preparing your farm for winter weather

Ice and snow in NC can mean loss of electricity for extended periods of time and dangerous or even impassable roads.  Having a plan, extra supplies and identifying possible hazards prior to the weather event can help keep you, your family and your animals safe and sound until everything thaws.  

A disaster plan is the first and most important step in preparing for winter weather.  You and your family come first so having a primary plan for keeping the people on your farm safe is priority.  The American Red Cross has lots of great resources for creating a plan for your family.  A winter weather plan for your barn would include things like who will be assigned particular chores or animals during the ice or snow, specific things to keep an eye on, such as watching for busted pipelines or frozen waterers, or exactly how much feed each animal requires per day.

Once a plan is organized and in place the next step is to make sure you have enough supplies on hand to survive for several days without anyone coming to or leaving the farm.  It is not unheard of for roads to be closed for up to a week under severe ice and snow conditions so you should have AT LEAST two weeks of extra supplies on hand when winter weather is a possibility.  This includes, hay, feed and any daily supplements or medications that your horse receives.  A back-up supply of water is also crucial to winter weather survival.  You will be without a water source if you lose power and your farm uses well water, or if a pipe freezes and bursts.  Automatic waterers will be out of commission as well if you lose power so extra buckets are a must.  An adult horse drinks 8 to 12 gallons of water a day so having a barrel or drum of extra water is a good idea since not many people have the time, or the room, to keep 50-1 gallon jugs of water on hand. 

Identifying possible hazards and putting them into your plan will hopefully keep weather related injury to a minimum.  Dead or weak limbs that may fall under the weight of ice, an icy pond that I horse may wander into or a tripping/slipping hazard in a high traffic area are all examples of possible dangers to make note of or correct prior to a winter storm.

As previously mentioned loss of power can create multiple issues so a backup generator is essential.  It is important to know how to operate the generator prior to needing it and also to have enough of a fuel supply to keep it running as long as needed.  Carbon Monoxide poisoning is a very real threat when using a generator so make sure it is in a very well ventilated area and NEVER indoors.

Snow days can be fun if you are prepared.  Keeping everyone, human or animal, happy and safe through planning and preparation will help ensure there’s plenty of time for horsing around. :)

 

Virginia-North Carolina Horse Festival- March 5, 2016

The Virginia-North Carolina Horse Festival will be held March 5, 2016 at the Olde Dominion Agriculture Complex in Chatham, Virginia, which is located at 19783 US Hwy 29 South, Chatham, VA 24531. Festival hours are 10am-3pm. There are lots of great events planned throughout the day including a parade of breeds, a barrel and poles demonstration and a mounted shooting demonstration. There will also be static demonstrations running throughout the day related to horse care including bits and biting, nutrition and chiropractic care. There will be a Kid’s Area with lots of fun activities for the little ones. Dealers and vendors will be present so it will be a great time to check out horse related products. Food vendors will also be on-site. All are invited to come learn more about horses, whether you currently own one, are thinking about getting a horse or just think they’re great animals. The event is being planned and organized by the SouthEastern Farriers & Horseowners Association (SEFHA), Averett University and several Cooperative Extension offices in both North Carolina and Virginia.   Major sponsors at this time include Southern States and Virginia Horse Industry Board.  This is a free event for the public so come out and enjoy some horse related activities.  Please note that pets are not allowed, and there is no ATM on-site. For more information, call Kim Woods, Person County Cooperative Extension, at 336-599-1195.

CPR for Newborn Foals

Neonatal equine CPR is a skill that you should learn but hope you never need. Most foals are born without any problems but those few minutes after birth can make a difference for any that do not breathe when they are born. If you can catch it in time, your foal may be able to get back to normal breathing and blood circulation.

A newborn foal may undergo respiratory and/or cardiac arrest for several reasons: foals deprived of oxygen due to a difficult birth, premature separation of the placenta, umbilical cord issues, or smothering by fetal membranes. Any of these call for immediate action on your part if you hope to save the foal.

If you start CPR as soon as possible your foal has a 50% chance of recovering, if you wait too long and start after the heart has "flatlined," that chance is dramatically reduced. Hard and rapid chest massages plus tempered breathing assistance should be given to the foal. Foals should receive assisted breaths at a rate of 10-20 breaths per minute.

If possible, be at every birth so that you can catch any warning signs early on and  know if the birth was a particularly long or difficult one. The pushing stage of labor should last around 16 minutes.

Some telltale signs that a foal is going into respiratory (and therefore cardiac) arrest include:

• Gasping for air longer than 30 seconds
• No respiratory movements or heartbeats
• Heart rate less than 50 beats per minute and dropping
• Obvious signs of shortness of breath

Time is critical so calling your veterinarian may be out of the question to perform CPR, it may be left up to you. 

Check out other resources for more information! http://csu-cvmbs.colostate.edu/Documents/Learnfoals4-CPR-apr09.pdf   http://www.equineadvances.com/  

This article is adapted from "Foals and CPR: What You Should Know" published on thehorse.com on Sep 11, 2015. http://www.thehorse.com/articles/36396/foals-and-cpr-what-you-should-know

Rain Rot

We are only 2 months into the new year and we have already had a large amount of rain! Extended periods of rainy weather can cause serious hoof and skin issues in horses.

Rain rot, also called rain scald, is a skin condition that is caused by bacteria that live in the outer lay of the skin. The bacteria multiply in damp, humid conditions. Rain rot can cause painful, crusty scabs that when removed pulls clumps of hairs away from the skin, leaving bald spots on the hips, face, back, and other areas of the horse. 

Below are tips to avoid rain rot and the possibility of spreading rain rot:

• Don’t share tack, equipment, or blanket between horses you suspect may have rain rot
• Keep infected horses isolated
• Minimize exposure to bugs and bacteria
• After treating infected horse, wash hands thoroughly
• Have a covered area for your horses
• Keep coat clean especially for horses turned out more than others

Rain rot can usually be treated with antimicrobial sprays or soaps.  A veterinarian should always be the source of treating any type of problems. 

Photo Courtesy: Penn State Extension

 

Rain Rot  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Planning for Greener Pastures

 Though it doesn't look like it with snow on the ground, there are only 54 days until spring, which means it is time to think about cool season forages for your pasture! Forage selection should be based on horse needs, as there is no one forage best suited for all classes of horses. However, there are hundreds of varieties of grasses and forages to choose from.  With so many forages available, how does one choose?  There are two factors to consider when choosing forages for pastures: preference and persistence.

Preference

Horses, like children, can be picky eaters.  Horses will usually graze preferred forages (usually young, tender shoots and/or leafier varieties of forages with higher sugar content) to the ground, while leaving less palatable forages (usually older, tougher, and/or more fibrous varieties of forages) untouched.  This is why horse pastures often have uneven patches of both over-grazed and under-grazed grasses.  We, as horse owners, spend so much time studying and selecting forages based on their nutritive value (crude protein, energy minerals, etc.) that we often forget that a forage is only useful if the horses actually eat it.  Brussel sprouts may be good for us, but how often do we choose to eat them?  How often does a child, who is also a picky eater, willingly eat brussel sprouts?  Yes, choose forages for their nutritive value, but also make sure that it is a variety that your horses are willing to eat as well.

Persistence

Horses can be rough on pastures.  If given time, they can easily graze the available forages to the ground and turn what was once a nice, lush pasture into a mud lot.  Therefore, horse owners need forages that can not only tolerate heavy grazing, but also recover and grow quickly when given time to rest.  On average, perennial varieties of forages will produce reliably for 5-7 years.  However, heavy grazing can reduce productivity by 3 years.  Having a pasture management plan where horses are rotated off of paddocks to give forages time to rest is key in maintaining persistent forages – even the hardy varieties!

Below is a chart tabulated from a study done in Minnesota on equine grazing preferences of cool season forages:

For more information about selecting and managing forages, check out the following link: http://extension.psu.edu/plants/crops/forages/pastures/animals/pasture-and-hay-for-horses

Cost Centers of Horse Ownership

Economic times since 2007-2008 have made it harder for many folks who love and enjoy owning horses to be able to afford horse ownership.  Here we are eight or nine years later, and disposable income for most families has not gotten much better, yet we still find ways to be able to keep a horse or two and enjoy horse activities.  If the eye test means anything, the number of horses in Granville County has grown a bit over that time span, including the opening of a couple of new boarding and training facilities.

Regardless of the economy, if anyone is going to make the commitment to own a horse, they should recognize what the cost centers are for their horse and make decisions that provide good care, nutrition, shelter, and other aspects of animal care that are in the best interest of the horse without being extravagant.  Of course, what may seem extravagant to one person may seem like a basic necessity to someone else.  Wherever a person is on that scale, let’s take a look at some of the cost centers and see if there are cost savings that can be realized in those.

One of the biggest cost centers of horse ownership is nutrition. A horse can eat a lot of hay and feed, and feed and forage costs money, especially if one is being sold expensive “horse hay”. Any hay can be sold as horse hay, so set some parameters on exactly what hay you want to feed your horses, and verify that is what you are getting.  This blog has several articles on horse nutrition, and there are a lot of resources that give guidance on what the nutritional needs of a horse are.  Knowing the needs and matching those needs with a decent quality forage and supplementing with only what is needed to meet the nutritional needs will go a long way toward meeting reducing nutritional costs.  Yes, good quality hay may cost more per ton, but can in turn reduce how much is spent on grains.  In many cases, horses can do quite well and maintain their body condition score on forage alone.

Have any hay tested for quality, whether it is grown on the farm or purchased.  That is the only way to know exactly what the nutrient levels are in a forage, and that knowledge allows a horse owner to use only the type of supplement needed to meet the nutritional needs of their horses. It also helps folks avoid overpaying for poor quality hay.

Another cost center is tack.  Good tack maintenance helps make saddles and bridles last longer, reducing the need for replacement.  Keeping gear in good repair, cleaned often, and oiled makes it last longer.  Longer lasting gear, means fewer expenditures on new saddles.   The same can be said for blankets, if those are used.  Keep them clean, and consider if they are really needed.  Horses that are clipped regularly certainly will need the extra protection of a blanket, but most horses really don’t need blankets.

Fence repair is another area where a lot of money can be spent in a hurry.  Horses like to lean on fences for some reason.  Perhaps it is just to get the really tasty morsel of grass that is just outside their reach, or to rub against to scratch their back, but wait a little while and the fence will start to lean.  Consider an electrified wire that only gets use on occasion.  Judicious use of an electric fence can extend the life of the rest of the fence even though the electricity is only turned on if there is a problem.

The LSU Ag Center has a number of good references for horse owners.  The LSU Ag Center publication Horse Ownership/Cutting the Cost of Horse Ownership in Tough Financial Times provided some tips for this article, and includes more suggestions that horse owners can use to help reduce the cost of horse ownership.  Reducing basic costs can result in more disposable dollars available to apply toward events and activities to share with one’s horse.