Has anyone here had to move their horses, because of flooding?

Question

How can I make this easier on them...?

Answer 1

We have never been hit, even so close to the Mississippi River because of the hill that we are located on. The worst has been the inconvenience of going the long way to town because of water on low roads. Blessings of the Lord be with you and your family. If He cares about a sparrow, I'm sure He has enough love left for our horses. (And, of course mules, too! Hey, Mulereiner!)
Edit: Thank you for making me think. We are blessed to not have to worry about the river, but you have made me think of the many other things that could happen, including a national disaster that would slow everything down, and the ever present chance of a terrorist attack that could happen anywhere. We do store our own hay that is grown on the land, but having other supplies would be wise.

Answer 2

Have any special feeds/supplements/meds prepackaged for the individual horse, with feeding instructions for the barn where they are going. If they are going to a temporary holding facility, such as a fairground, attach a dog tag or even a luggage tag to it with your name, the horse's name, phone #, perhaps your vets name.

Try to bring the hay they are used to. Hopefully you can keep them together, but if not, they will be okay.

I had to evacuate a few years ago due to flooding. The ranch was right on a river. We got out before the flooding occured. Two days later the river breached the banks, wiped out orchards, a good portion of the ranch. It's best to leave before the water starts to rise if you can.

Also, make sure if you have a horse that doesn't like to load to work on that if you can beforehand. Keep your trailer hooked up too. good luck!

Answer 3

People in my area are having to move horses due to a major wildlife. Having a game plan and knowing where you are heading before you leave is the best thing you can do. Emergency officials here are directing people with large animals to ranches that have volunteered to keep them until it safe to go home. It is best to make these arrangements if you can before you leave and make sure your route is open and safe. Call your highway patrol or 911 and get the information you need. Here we also have a website we can check for updates. If any animals need medication or special food, be sure and bring it. Bring any supplies you think you will need for at least 2 weeks if you can.

Answer 4

I have due to forest fires.

The easiest thing is to keep them together. When we left the fires, we had nothing, I think I got 15 bales loaded before they kicked us out. The horses had halters and leads and 15 bales for 14head. Can we say nightmare!!

Anyway, horses are pretty resilent. Ours were seperated, 2 mare/colt pairs went across town, the rest of the herd went 60 miles away to a friends. They were fine, they were together and thats the main thing.

If you have ones that need to be seperated, I would get some solar powered fencing and string that to make make-shift pens for now. I know how crisis things can go.

Good luck!

Answer 5

I haven't had to because of flooding...... it was because of the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant meltdown! Talk about stressful! First suggestion is to take as much of their regular feeds and hay and water as you can haul. It will prevent further stress on their digestion. Make sure you have emergency supplies for your tow vehicle and trailer, like spare tires, jacks, lug wrench, etc, because if your rig fails, you lose your chance to reach safety if you can't fix it. Try not to make the horses feel rushed and try not to show your nervousness. It transfers to them, as I'm sure you know. Once they reach their destination, spend time doing routine things like grooming. Your familiar presence will help. Overall, they seem to handle the changes rather well. Mine showed no ill effects. None of us even glowed in the dark long! ;-) Good luck!

Answer 6

my trainers had to relocate some of their horses due to flooding, because the back of their property is a creek and across the road from them is a small river. their front yard, which is really a horse pasture, was covered in water. it was everywhere. thankfully i live on one of the hills surrounding a valley, which was completely flooded this winter.

Answer 7

A friend and I had to do that once . Because its usually an emergency situation there's not much you can do except to check to make sure there isn't anything they can hurt themselves on.They re happy anyway just to get away from all the water.Taking there own feeding dish along would probably help them feel at home.

Answer 8

I don't know what to do, but I wish you and your family and the horses all the best!!

Good luck!! :)

((((((Kerilyn))))))