Is Your Horse Ready for Emergency Evacuation?
Depending on where you live, this can be a question that has never crossed your mind. When you live in an area where natural disasters can happen, this is the most important question you ...
… can ask yourself.
Emergency Evacuation
I live in a forested area. Wildfires are happening every Summer! Some years, the fire is closer by than in other years. In 2023, we got an “Evacuation Alert”. This means you need to get ready to get out! Fire is moving towards your property. Wildfires cannot be extinguished. They try to contain it, so it doesn’t spread.
It’s very dependent on Mother Nature if the firefighters succeed. One change of wind and the fire is out of control. It’s scary!
We received an Evacuation Alert, and while I was still on the phone arranging a trailer ride for my two mini horses, Fionn and Odin, the Evacuation Alert turned into an Evacuation Order! We had to leave our property within 30 minutes!
When our driver (not a horse person) saw Fionn and Odin, he said: “This will be easy. We can easily pick them up and put them inside, no problem.” He didn’t realize that an unwilling mini horse can be very dangerous. Struggling with one would distress the other!
I told everyone to step aside. I would get them into the trailer using positive reinforcement. No sweat. Fionn hesitated, but once Odin was in, he didn’t want to be left behind. He jumped in, and we could drive towards safety. I was so relieved!
I was so grateful that my horses trust me, that they understand clicker training and know to do more of what I click for.
What if you can’t load your horse…
The next day, I went out to help load a big Frisian horse that did not go into the trailer with his buddy. He was left behind… The owner was also on Evacuation Order and loaded her one horse that would go into the trailer. Can you imagine how difficult that decision must have been for her? Isn’t that heartbreaking? Luckily, her horse wanted to go into the trailer with me, using positive reinforcement! It took only 20 minutes, it was a miracle! There was no guarantee that the horse would load!
What if your horse cannot be haltered?
That year, I heard many stories of horse owners of rescue horses that weren’t easy to halter. Or, they were impossible to halter by other people than their owners.
Can you imagine what would happen in an emergency if your horse cannot be haltered? If your non-horsey spouse doesn’t know how to halter your horse or cannot load him?
What if your horse panics?
Do you know how to calm your horse down in a stressful situation? I can tell from experience that even when your horses are easy loaders, emergencies are different!
I was super stressed myself. We could smell and see the fire approaching. We saw everyone else evacuating with their animals. It was busy on our normally very quiet road!
Lots of phone calls, text messages, and emails were going around. We had to contain our cats. We needed to be sure to be ready to leave, even before the trailer would arrive (oh my!). So, yes, by the time the trailer arrived, lots had happened already. I was stressed, and having a trailer loading protocol in place was very useful. It gave me confidence I could do this!
I have strategies to calm my horses down in high-stress situations. This is a great asset to have! It helped me stay calm and confident in the emergency evacuation. I hope I never have to go through it again. Living in a forested area with frequent wildfires, it might happen again!
3 Important Behaviours in case of an Emergency Evacuation
Three superpowers for emergency evacuations :
Is your horse approachable, and can he be haltered by anyone?
Is your horse easy to load onto a trailer? Even when he’s guided in by a stranger, or when your horse doesn’t know that trailer?
Can you calm your horse down or keep him relaxed in a panic situation?
Stay safe everyone!
Happy Horse training- You are the trainer!
Sandra Poppema, BSc
