Storms and Saddles

With hurricane season officially kicked off in the Lowcountry, it's time to prepare not only your homes but also your barns and think of the best plan of action for your animals when a storm is heading your way! 

It's not new news that Hurricane Season is officially here in the Lowcountry! Now that we have made it through our first hurricane, it's still incredibly important to stay prepared and on alert until the end of the hurricane season. It lasts through November and even though that's just a few more weeks, that's still plenty of time for anything to start brewing. As a horse owner, it's just as important to prepare your stables and grounds and have an evacuation plan for your horses as you would be for you and your family.  

We wanted to share a few helpful hints on how to prepare for a hurricane, how to evacuate, or how to hunker down when you're a horse owner or own a farm of your very own. The first important step is to make sure that you stay informed, make educated decisions, and be prepared to decide anything at a moment's notice. Thanks to incredible Apps and advancements in storm tracking, it's much easier now to understand a storm than ever before. But no matter how intelligent our weather systems might be, the power of mother nature will always win. 

The first step is to prepare your barns and grounds. You need to invest in these steps if you are evacuating or hunkering down. Don't wait until the last minute to start preparing. We recommend planning before hurricane season even begins. This way you're prepared no matter what happens! 

• Make sure all of your horses are up to date on all of their vaccines. 
• Establish a relationship and create a plan with your community sheriffs, animal control, and other farms around you. This helps just in case disaster hits. If a farmer has stayed and you've left they can act as a good eye for you. Disaster relief will come in the form of your police department and animal control both during and after the storm. Make sure they are familiar with you and your animals so they know to keep an extra eye out just in case the worse does happen. 
• Make sure your horses have multiple forms of identification. Each horse should have two permanent forms of identification. This could come in the form of a microchip or a brand. They should also have temporary identification that can be worn on them or carried with you that has both yours and their information on it. 
• Have an emergency waterproof care kit that's full of basic medical supplies prepared and ready to go at a moment's notice. 

If a storm decides to head your way, it is your personal choice to stay or evacuate. Once you have prepared for the storm, and you decide to evacuate, there are still some important steps to take care of before you get on the road. 

• It is recommended to get on the road ahead of the storm and the traffic. If you can, leave three days out. This can avoid those horrible traffic jams, make it easier to travel with large cargo, and helps avoid putting any extra stress on the animals or you. 
• Have multiple evacuation plans in place with a large shelter or barn waiting for you at the end of your destination is key. Having multiple plans in place helps when a storm likes to change its path. This gives you more choices to stay out of the way of the storm's path. 

If you decide to stay, it's best to take your preparation stages to the next level. Remember to put the safety of yourself, your employees, and your animals first. Make sure the decision to stay has been made with good intentions behind it. Sometimes if you can leave, it's better to take that opportunity than not. 

• Remember flooding and storm surges can be the most devastating when you least expect it. If you're in a flood zone prepare for that. Use sandbags and other damming items to protect your barns and other buildings. 
• Don't let the horses out of the barn until the storm has passed, and flood waters have receded. Have extra bedding on hand to make sure they stay clean through the storm and have a place to go when nature calls. 
• Make sure you're prepared with extra supplies, food, and medical equipment for the animals and anyone staying on the property. Make sure you have a ton of extra water stored safely, along with extra hay stored in loft areas to be kept dry.  
• Have a generator on hand ready to go with plenty of extra batteries, flashlights, and any other important tools to help during the storm and after. This could include a chainsaw, axes, rope, etc. 
• Remove anything from the walls or ceilings of the barn that could fall and hurt the animals. 
•  Having a strong and reliable staff on hand just in case the worst happens is always a help. They can keep the horses calm and cared for through the worst until the storm passes. 

No matter what you decide to do during a hurricane, always make safety your number one priority. We hope that these tips help you stay prepared for this hurricane season and many more to come. We will see you next time! 

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