Horse Care

In an effort to provide a basic guideline for minimum horse care requirements, the Kentucky Horse Council (KHC) recently developed an eight page educational guide called Minimum Standards for Equine Care in Kentucky.  The guide is a free resource offered for educational purposes to horse owners, potential horse owners, law enforcement officials, and all horse interested individuals.

Featuring photographs which depict healthy horses receiving good care, Minimum Standards for Equine Care in Kentucky is appropriate for all horse owners.  It includes information on minimum food, drink, space, and health care requirements for equines.  In addition, the document encourages the practice of body condition scoring of horses using the Henneke Scale as a basis for the development of a feeding program regiment tailored to the unique needs of each individual horse.

“Over the past few years, through our extensive work with neglected horses, we recognized the need for an educational resource detailing the basics of horse care.  Minimum Standards for Equine Care in Kentucky is a great tool for investigators to provide education to horse owners who lack an understanding of the rudimentary needs of their horses,” emphasized Madelyn Millard, KHC Board President.

Developed by the Kentucky Horse Council Health and Welfare Committee, the standards include information approved by equine veterinarians and humane officers. 

The color guide has been provided to all animal control and law enforcement officials who have successfully completed Equine Abuse Investigation Training offered by the Kentucky Horse Council.  All future attendees will also be provided a printed copy.

“This document is just one of the many ways the Kentucky Horse Council works to educate horse owners and law enforcement officials on the unique needs of horses,” Millard continued. 

Minimum Standards for Equine Care in Kentucky is free and available online by visiting www.kentuckyhorse.org.

Source: Horse Channel

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Tips to Protect Horses, Livestock from Wildfire

Horse owners and ranchers can take precautions to reduce the risk and spread of wildfire and protect their animals from injury or death by fire, said Texas AgriLife agents.

"The most important thing to remember is to have a fire plan in place," said Rick Machen, Texas AgriLife Extension Service livestock specialist in Uvalde. "You'll have a limited time to react when a wildfire hits, so you'll need to be prepared and practiced for it."

The plan should include how to access and transport livestock that might be in danger, he said.

"Make sure you have keys to padlocks and can get easy access to every gate on the perimeter fence," Machen said.

If there's a wildfire, farmers and horse owners need to know in advance what their priorities are, he noted. "Sometimes firefighters will ask which they should save first--a structure, livestock, machinery or feed," he said.

If you have time to evacuate livestock, proceed with caution, he said, as some animals might refuse to leave and others might run back into a burning barn or building.

"Close gates that give livestock access to dangerous or soon-to-be dangerous areas," Machen said. "When evacuating the animals, be sure to keep them from going into areas where they might become trapped or have a limited chance of escape."

Livestock are frequently injured or killed by running into fences, barriers, and other obstructions while trying to flee, he added. Having the right equipment and experienced handlers to move livestock is important, but if time is of the essence it might be necessary to release the animals and recapture them later.

All farm and ranch family members and workers should be on the lookout for potential fire hazards and know how to respond in case of a fire, added Bruce Lesikar, AgriLife Extension agricultural engineer.

Lesikar said some basic safety precautions should include installing and maintaining smoke detectors in barns and buildings, placing fire extinguishers in barns, vehicles, and tractors, and posting emergency numbers in a central location near a telephone.

"To help prevent or feed a fire, store fuels, pesticides, and other chemicals away from heat sources and combustible materials," he said. "If there's a wildfire, these should be removed from the premises."

He added that trash, hay, lumber, empty feed sacks, and other flammable materials should be kept away from barns and buildings.

Firebreaks or fireguards are another useful tool in helping prevent the spread of wildfire, noted Wayne Hanselka, an AgriLife Extension program leader for rangeland ecology management based in Corpus Christi.

"As their names indicate, these are designed to keep fire in or out of a pasture," Hanselka said. "Cleared firebreaks must extend to bare ground or mineral soil with no line of continuous dead fuel that allows the fire to creep across the fire line."

Source: TheHorse.com read the full article here.

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