I’ve just moved to a hurricane-prone area, and I’d like to be prepared to evacuate my three trail horses, especially after watching Hurricane Katrina wreak havoc on the Gulf Coast. I just couldn’t bear to leave them behind to weather the storm alone. Do you have any equine evacuation tips?

Geena Gimenez
Titusville, Florida

Geena, I’m very glad you asked. As it happens, we just received these equine evacuation guidelines, prepared by the American Association of Equine Practitioners Emergency & Disaster Preparedness Committee. Although it covers hurricane evacuations, there are tips that can be applied to any emergency evacuation. Another tip: So that you’re able to move your horse to safety, either invest in a horse trailer of your own (with enough room for all three of your horses), or arrange for trailering with a close neighbor well in advance of an emergency.

Hurricane Equine Evacuation
Head for the hills! When hurricane winds blow along the gulf and eastern shores of the United States, horse owners must decide whether to “shelter in place” or load horses, gear, and pretty much everything but the kitchen sink, and head inland, away from the greatest storm danger.

If you plan to evacuate with your horse, there are a number of websites and contacts to help you. If at all possible, making these contacts well in advance of the emergency will make the trip much easier. Leave early in a voluntary evacuation period. If you wait too late, you may be stuck in traffic or not allowed on the road once winds reach a certain velocity. If you must make a last-minute search for shelter/stabling, consider some of the following as you make calls and prepare to move out:

Have proof of ownership and individual identification of your horse.

Be sure to describe your horse (stallion, mare, young unbroken, mare with foal) in terms that make special needs clear.

Discuss fencing and stabling type — what your horse is used to living in and whether he’ll be safe in a different/unusual type of facility.

If pasture/paddock with other horses, realize additional risk of injury in turning horses in with new “buddies.”

Ask about health status. Know which vaccines/deworming your horse has received in relation to the general status of horses being accepted at the stable. There’s always some risk in commingling horses/livestock. Having your horse current on vaccinations — especially tetanus, Eastern equine encephalomyelitis, West Nile virus, rabies, and influenza/equine viral rhinopneumonitis — may protect in case of exposure to these diseases.

Carry or locate a source for feed and hay of the type to which your horse is accustomed.

A frequent evacuation-related question that arises is: “Do I have to have health certificates and Coggins tests with me when I evacuate?” State Veterinarians in the southeastern states have managed in some cases to waive certain health-record requirements in emergency.

However, in some states, the State Veterinarian may not have the authority to alter requirements without legislative approval. It’s highly recommended that you carry with you, in addition to your best proof of ownership (registration papers, photos, bill of sale, etc.), and proper health papers — at a minimum, your Coggins test record (showing that your horse has tested negative for equine infectious anemia). If you’re unable to obtain these documents, you may be restricted from crossing state lines or staying in certain facilities.

In general, all efforts are made to find some accommodation for emergency movement. During the (endless) 2004 hurricane season, several southern states and Florida agreed to allow emergency movement of horses out of Florida, with certain checks at the border, and agreement to return home within a certain number of days after the evacuation was lifted.

Below are contacts and websites for information from some of the states most often threatened by hurricanes. Please make the best use of the information provided, and remember to deal with state officials and stable owners with courtesy. They’re doing a lot to make your evacuation safe and your horse’s sheltering appropriate. In most cases, the State Veterinarian’s office can assist or direct to appropriate contact.

Louisiana: Louisiana Department of Agriculture assisted by Louisiana Horseman’s Guide, www.lahg.net. State Veterinarian, Dr. Mack Lea, (225) 925-3980. Contact: Bonnie Clark, (225) 721-1571 (cell); (225) 784-8760 (work).

Mississippi: Mississippi Board of Animal Health provides the Mississippi Emergency Management information for public access and public announcements, www.msema.org/animalhorsestables.com. State Veterinarian, Dr. Jim Watson, (601) 359-1170.

Alabama: Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries and the Alabama Horse Council assist, www.agi.state.al.us. State Veterinarian: Dr. Tony Frazier,

(334) 240-7253; e-mail, stvet@agi.state.al.us or crystal.allen@agi.alabama.gov.

Florida: Emergency management information including emergency equine shelters can be obtained on the Division of Animal Industry’s website, www.doacs.state.fl.us/ai/. State Veterinarian, Dr. Thomas Holt; Emergency Programs Administrator, Dr. Greg Christy, (850) 410-0902.

South Carolina: Clemson Livestock-Poultry Health and the South Carolina Department of Agriculture will assist. Contact Billie Jones at CULPH (803/260-6433) or Mary Ellen Tobias at the South Carolina Department of Agriculture (803/734-2200). For information, visit www.clemson.edu/lph, click on Emergency Preparedness, then scroll to bottom for equine- evacuation information. State Veterinarian, Dr. Tony Caver, (803) 788-2260.

Georgia: Stables, both large and small, are licensed by Georgia Department of Agriculture. For information, visit www.agr.state.ga.us; click on GDA Divisions, Animal Industry, then Equine Health, Emergency Contacts-Equine Health Section. Contact: Melinda Dennis, (404) 656-3713; after-hours and weekends, contact GEMA, (404) 635-7000 or 1-800-TRY-GEMA. State Veterinarian, Dr. Lee Myers, (404) 656-3671; after-hours, (404) 895-5658.

For corrections or additions to this listing, contact Venaye P. Reece, DVM, (803) 486-0215 or (803) 424-1302; e-mail: venaye.p.reece@aphis.usda.gov.

Barney Fleming, DVM, vets more than 60 endurance rides per year, gives endurance clinics and workshops, and is a professional lecturer on the sport of endurance riding and other equine subjects. He and his wife, Linda, own and operate Spirit Horse Escape, a horse camp and bed-and-barn in Custer, South Dakota (www.spirithorseescape.com), and an overnight horse facility in Deming, New Mexico (www.equinedoc.com)