Horses and Fire
With temperatures soaring into the forties and many of us rightly concerned with the threat of bush fires it’s time for a reminder about what we can do to protect and prepare our horses from a fire threat.
In an ideal world if there is a fire danger it is best to relocate your horses to a safe place. This may be a friends place or a local show ground, pony club grounds or race track. Choose somewhere with a large open space with little fuel for fire. Make sure if you plan to go to a show ground or similar that you have access to the grounds or have contact details for the relevant person who will be able to open the gates for you. Many show grounds will open their gates when there is a risk of fire in the area but don’t rely on this being the case.
Check that your truck or float is ready to go and know the route you will take to get to your safe area – bearing in mind that if one road is closed you will need an alternative. Pack your truck with some hay, water buckets, and emergency first aid kit.
Fires don’t always happen during the day so you must be confident you can move your horses in the dark if that’s what you decide to do. If you are not confident don’t attempt it.
Take rugs off and put horses in a bare paddock
If you choose to (or have no option) but to have your horse at home in a bush fire threat you must work out the best paddock. Putting horses in as large an area as possible with the least amount of grass is your best option. If that paddock has a dam all the better. Don’t open all of your paddocks and let the horses take their chance beyond your property. Horses running loose can cause a serious hazard for those on the road and can hamper emergency services.
Do not be tempted to leave rugs on your horses. Rugs will burn as will nylon head collars so if you have to use a head collar use a soft rope one with no buckles – buckles become very hot in a fire.
If your horse isn’t micro-chipped or branded make sure it can be identified in some way just in case it gets loose during an emergency.
We hope that none of you will ever have to deal with horses in a bush fire but we know from experience that fires happen and horses can be injured or even killed so at least by thinking ahead you will give your horses the best possible chance of survival.
The Rural Fire Service has got some great literature on preparing yourselves and your homes but for horse specific information CLICK HERE
