July 21, 2007

Article © Horsetalk 2007 This article may not be reproduced in any form without prior permission.

It's important to be well organised before leaving your horses in the care of others. NEIL CLARKSON reports.

Your much-anticipated holiday is approaching and, while you may well be looking forward to a break in the sun, you're finding it hard not to worry about your horses.

Horses love routine, and the ultimate routine centres around meal times. It's the highlight of every horse's day and the last thing they want is some pesky horse sitter coming in and messing with their favourite ritual.

Most of us worry unnecessarily, of course. But it's important we do everything possible in organising cover to reduce the chances of drama during our absence.

Before looking at the finer details, let's consider the big picture.

Firstly, you want to introduce a holiday plan that causes as little disruption to your horse's feeding routine as possible. The last thing you want to do is introduce a radical feed change just as you depart. As horse owners know, a sudden feed change can trigger potentially fatal colic.

We all feel guilty about leaving our horses while on holiday, but a horse sitter will be able to continue to provide all necessary creature comforts.

Feed changes need to be introduced gradually, so if your horse's diet must change during your absence, introduce them gradually to the new feed regime in the weeks before you go. Timing is important, too. If, for example, you feed your horses late-afternoon and your horse sitter can only do it in the morning, gradually move your horses to a morning-feed routine.

The second crucial area is having a game plan in place to cover illness or injury. If you cannot be contacted while away, it's essential you formally leave someone to make potentially crucial decisions about your horse's wellbeing. The last thing you want to do is leave a vet second-guessing whether you would consent to urgent life-saving surgery.

You actually have obligations to two parties in organizing your holiday horse care. You naturally are obliged to continue to provide a safe and caring environment for your horses. But you're also obligated to provide your horse caregiver with all the tools and information necessary to do the job.

First of all, are you up-to-date with any farriery work? If your horse is shod, are you best to remove their shoes before you go away?

If you've been intending to call the dentist or any other health professional, get them in and get the stuff out of the way before your holiday.

Let your veterinarian know you will be away. Make it clear to him or her that you will meet any costs associated with veterinary care should a call-out prove necessary. Depending on your relationship with your vet, you may need to do this in writing.

It's a grim thought, but you should outline in writing the circumstances in which you feel euthanasia would be the best option. For example, some horse owners will draw the line at surgery to tackle a serious case of colic.

Then again, you might be comfortable about surgery, but only for your younger horses. You may not, for example, feel it's the best course of action for the geriatric members of your herd.

This letter could be placed on your file at the clinic, but you're best to leave a signed copy with your horse caregiver.

The letter should also have any insurance requirements outlined, to ensure all conditions are met in the case of any decision to euthanize.

It's best to leave a letter even if you expect you'll be in phone contact for your entire holiday. It would be terrible to think a horse might be suffering unnecessarily for several hours just because you happen to be on a boat cruise.

That's the grim stuff out of the way; the only other thing to consider in covering all "bad news" scenarios is your horse transport.

Provided the right food keeps coming at the right time, your horses will stay happy.

Ensure your float is roadworthy and that its warrant of fitness and registration are up to date. If your horse sitter is unfamiliar with it, give them a rundown, taking particular care to ensure they understand how the brakes work. The last thing you need is the float to be hauled 20km with the brakes locked on.

Your may need to leave keys for your towing vehicle if your horse sitter has nothing that could safely haul a float.

If you're uncomfortable at the prospect of the horse sitter using your float, why not talk with a friend to see if they can make themselves and their float available in any emergency?

Will your horse sitter have access to your four-wheel farm bike to cart hay or other feed?

If so, give them clear instructions for its safe use. Provide a helmet, and suggest they do nothing more than potter about at walking pace. Plenty of people are killed or seriously injured on quad bikes every week. You don't want your horse sitter to be one of them.

Make sure the person has access to a first-aid kit, and ensure your equine first-aid supplies are up to date.

You want to make the feeding routine as smooth and simple as possible for the horse sitter. This may mean having a tidy up in your feedroom. Any supplements should be very clearly labeled. The last thing you want is a label coming off and your horse sitter getting confused. If original labels are missing, getting difficult to read, or in danger of coming off, why not use a permanent marker pen? Never label things by the lid, as it's possible these could be swapped in error.

Put anything that's toxic well out of the way. For example, you might keep some copper sulfate handy for the treatment of seedy toe. The last thing you want is your horse sitter accidentally adding a dollop to your horse's diet, in the mistaken belief it's dolomite. If it's well out of the way, or removed from the shed altogether, there's no chance of accidental poisoning.

Once you're tidied up and everything is clearly labeled, you need to ensure you've got enough of everything. You shouldn't expect your horse's caregiver to be out and about shopping on your behalf.

Write down the feed instructions in detail, and mentioned that they should check the water troughs each day. Be clear and simple in your instructions.

Clearly write down any instructions for medication for horses.

Get your horse sitter to come over and feed out with you just before you go.

If some horses have a different feed mix, or are on medication, ensure the person can identify each animal.

You must also leave a list of contact details. Aside from yourself, it should detail how to contact your vet, farrier, neighbours - in fact, anyone you consider might have a part to play if things start going wrong. Depending upon the horse experience of your sitter, you will be wise to leave them the contact details for other horsey friends who can offer guidance and advice, should the sitter feel it necessary.

Very few horse owners like leaving their animals. It's natural to worry, but rest assured that your horses will cope just fine without you. Provided their dinner keeps coming and rations are as they should be, they'll still be friendly with you on your return.

The crucial thing is to be organised and ensure your horse sitter has all the information and tools needed to do a good job.

Budgets can easily be stretched around holiday time, but be sure to set something aside for a thank-you present for your horse sitter. It doesn't need to be anything fancy; just an acknowledgement that you really appreciated what they did for you - and your horses.