The Annual Disaster Planning Blog

The Fourth of July has come and gone…how did your horses survive this epic #250? I am glad I am not a betting person, as I would have lost money on the celebrations taking place around me. I thought for sure that it was going to be a hellish 3 nights of explosions, and while it seems that is how it was for most people, for me it was surprisingly quiet! Friday and Sunday was fairly quiet, just a few booms. On the 4th, nobody had any out-of-control parties, and my neighbors barely shot anything off. On the 4th, there were some loud explosions close by, but none of my animals even flinched. I guess that by now they are greatly desensitized to loud noises, thanks to neighbors target shooting. Besides, we had experienced what the meteorologists were calling a “weather phenomenon” just hours earlier, with intense lightning and unfortunately, around 5 inches of water in my barn aisle (did you read my blog about barn construction location being so important? Luckily I was home in time to stop the water from flowing into stalls, with the help of horse blankets, dog beds, seat cushions and towels), so the booms that followed must have been anti-climactic for everyone.

I was really torn whether or not to sedate, and decided it was best to be safe than sorry, and then kind of regretted giving everyone sleepy juice when it probably wasn’t necessary. Now in other parts of town, it was a totally different story, and I am very grateful that my neighbors did not go all out. It breaks my heart to read about the effects of fireworks not only on livestock and pets, but birds and wildlife, and those suffering PTSD, not to mention the trash left behind on our local beaches (which is supposed to be illegal, but yet here they were removing tons of fireworks debris the next day, Volusia County boasted about being so prompt in getting the trash picked up the next day, with no mention of it being illegal, and no mention of the trash that ended up in the ocean.)

Now that you can put the Fourth of July behind you, hopefully most of you are enjoying the weather and getting riding time in. (I was ready to ride until I heard the thunder in the distance. Between the heat and the rain, it can be difficult to get in ride time. Chance’s new bareback pad arrived today and I am so anxious to try it on him) Sadly, once again there are horrible wildfires out west and it is Hurricane season, so that means it is time for my annual Disaster Planning Blog. This link will take you to a summary blog, which contains all of the links to the entire series, from preparing for hurricanes, wildfires, floods, HAZMAT situations and tornadoes, to sheltering in place, creating your evacuation kit and having different types of ID’s: Your Check List For Disasters If you don’t have a disaster plan, now is a great time to create one and my blog series will help you to devise one.

Are you familiar with the Pegasus Horse Show Software? Next week they are releasing their documentary called On the Fringe. You can preview the trailer here: ON THE FRINGE | Inside the world of Showjumping | Documentary Trailer I am so excited for this documentary. I have watched it in its entirety and yes, my daughter and son-in-law are the founders of Pegasus, so I may be a bit biased, but I have to say, it will blow you away! Subscribe to their YouTube channel to view it when it is released next week! If you are in Palm Beach and happen to have tickets to the premier on Monday night at the Palm House Hotel, be sure to say hello!

Happy Riding and as always,

Don’t Forget To Hug Your Horse!

Lori