Equine News from 2006

Hay is for Horses: Equine Groups Band Together to Provide Feed for Hurricane-Affected Areas

BATON ROUGE — Five equine organizations joined together this week to provide 6,500 bales of hay to nearly 800 horses in Vermilion Parish, La., that were affected by Hurricane Rita. The United States Equestrian Federation (USEF), the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) Foundation, and the Louisiana Veterinary Medical Association (LVMA) Equine Committee Foundation combined financial resources to donate approximately $59,000 to the relief effort. The Equine Health Studies Program (EHSP) at the Louisiana State University School of Veterinary Medicine and the Blue Devils Horse Platoon (BDHP) at the Walker Army Reserve Center in Grand Rapids, Mich., located the hay and coordinated delivery and distribution.

“Similar to the actual hurricane rescue operations last year, we were initially contacted and informed of the need by horse owners and volunteers in the area,” said Dr. Rustin Moore, director of the EHSP and president of the LVMA Equine Committee Foundation. “Once we had a clear understanding of the situation we simply worked together to find a solution. It has been amazing to see the number of groups that were willing to come forward with either monetary assistance or through their own efforts to see this shipment of hay come to fruition.”

Dr. Shannon Gonsoulin of New Iberia, LA, Dr. Phil Deville of Abbeville, LA, and Vermillion Parish Agriculture Extension Agent Andrew Granger were instrumental in assessing the plight in the area and determining the needs. They also will assist with coordinating the administration of donated hay, feed and vaccines. Vaccines have been purchased with funds from the LVMA’s Dr. Walter J. Ernst, Jr. Veterinary Memorial Foundation and distributed to Dr. Deville for administration to horses in Vermilion Parish to protect them from tetanus and encephalitides.

Most of the horses in Vermilion Parish are ranch horses used to work the cattle in the area. Lying just north of Vermilion Bay, this is one of the areas hardest hit by Hurricane Rita. Parish extension agents estimate that between 20,000 to 30,000 cattle perished subsequent to this storm. Most of the horses were turned out of their stalls during the hurricane, and the majority survived; but even with the opportunity to move to higher ground, many were caught in the tidal surge of the hurricane and perished.

The difficulty producers now face is not only the immediate loss of livestock, but the severe saltwater damage done to pastures, inhibiting their ability to regenerate usable forage in a timely fashion. Without adequate pasture, these producers have little alternative means of providing for their livestock. Having already endured the loss of property, homes and sometimes their livelihoods, it has become a heavy financial burden to acquire enough feed to maintain their herds.

“When we learned of the ongoing plight of horse owners in these areas, we were able to get the word out through numerous avenues including the USEF, The Horse magazine and other media outlets,” said Dr. Moore. “The USEF and its senior vice president for marketing, Maria Partlow, were instrumental in helping us to get in touch with people regarding this need,” Dr. Moore continued.

“Daily we hear on the news about the continuing challenges and struggles in the city of New Orleans, but the situations in rural areas are rarely reported on,” said Partlow. “These farmers and horse owners have extreme challenges in sustaining both themselves and their animals. When Dr. Moore contacted us [USEF] for help, we were able to respond immediately with the same team that cooperated right after the hurricane and also because of the generosity of thousands of donors to the USEF Hurricane Relief Fund. The BDHP and the Army Reserve deserve all the credit for sourcing the hay from Michigan farmers and getting it to the area," she added.

Before jointly receiving the “Heroes for Horses Award” from the USEF during their annual Pegasus Awards ceremony in Cincinnati, Ohio, Dr. Moore from the EHSP and Commission Warrant Officer (CW4) Richard Dyk of the BDHP had never met, although they had both spent many of the past months in a similar fashion--tirelessly working on behalf of the hurricane affected equine populations in Louisiana and Mississippi, respectively. Also present at the meeting were other members of the BDHP and Mr. Keith Kleine, director of industry relations for the AAEP. The group exchanged ideas about how efforts were coordinated and how they could be improved to respond to future disasters involving horses.

“We knew immediately we wanted to be involved,” said Kleine. “This effort was in line with everything our organization stands for: the health and welfare of horses. These horses are in great need, and if we have the capacity to make a difference, we want to do everything we can to see that those needs are met.”

Following that initial meeting, Dr. Moore and CW4 Dyk worked cooperatively to locate the needed hay and arrange for transportation to Vermilion Parish. The first 1,255 of the 6,500 bales needed arrived on two trucks in Kaplan, La., on February 13. Two more trucks are being loaded in Michigan for subsequent deliveries during the week of February 19. Approximately 11 truckloads will be required to deliver the 6,500 bales needed to get these horses through the winter. “Additional hay has been located in Virginia and Maryland, and producers have indicated that they are willing to donate it for horses and cattle,” said Dr. Moore. “We are now working to secure funds for transportation to other affected areas.”

Brenda Hebert, one of volunteers with the Vermilion Animal Aid and owner of the farm where the organization is based, knows firsthand of the damage caused by Hurricane Rita and the significance of the ongoing assistance to horse owners in the area. “We have done what we could to provide for all of the rescued animals. Immediately after Rita hit, all the ranchers were out rescuing their cattle and horses from floodwaters. The limited feed and supplies that were received in the area had already been distributed, and by the time these people completed their rescue work, there was none left for their own animals,” said Hebert. “We have continued to have enough feed and supplies for the small animals, but there was no hay, feed or vaccines for the horses and cattle,” she continued.

Nearly 20 people assisted with volunteer efforts to offload the hay including local farmers, trustees from the Vermilion Parish Prison accompanied by Deputies David and Reed Mouton, and several volunteers from Ohio, who had been in the area to build fences and repair homes and barns.

Scott Esthay, owner of Premier Farm and Ranch Supply, volunteered forklifts and supplies, as well as the use of his building where the hay was unloaded and will be stored. Despite not owning any animals, Wayne Miller, a local friend and neighbor, jumped right in and worked side-by-side with the group to get the job done.

Leslie Talley, an equine technician and technician supervisor in the LSU Equine Clinic, was instrumental in helping to coordinate the hay relief activity. She communicated frequently with Ms. Hebert to assess the needs and provided logistics for having the hay unloaded and stored upon its arrival. “The entire group was so hospitable and friendly and worked together as a team to help unload and stack the hay. It was obvious that this group has been working together for a long time and seemed like a big family trying to make sure that nothing fell through the cracks,” said Talley.

"Members of the Blue Devils Horse Platoon, 88th Regional Readiness Command of the United States Army are more than happy to be of whatever service we can for these horse owners and horses, and we’re especially happy that we could locate the necessary hay here in Michigan to move to Vermilion Parish,” said CW4 Dyk. “A special thanks needs to go out to the farmers who let go of their hay for the people in Louisiana. Hay producers who agreed to supply the hay at a greatly discounted rate were Carol Woodman (800 bales), Tim Mason (667 bales), and Dave Mitchell (2,333 bales) of Byron, Mich., and David Yonker of Y-Knot Farms (2,700 bales) in Big Rapids, Mich. (2,700 bales). “Without these people, none of this would ever have been possible,” continued Dyk. “We also wish to thank C&J Trucking of Mount Pleasant, Mich. for making their trucks available on such a short notice to move the hay.”

“The partnering of the AAEP Foundation, the USEF and the LVMA Equine Committee Foundation in providing monetary support for this hay relief is tremendous, along with the organizational and logistical support of this operation by the BDHP and the EHSP. It will make a major difference in the lives of these horses,” Dr. Moore concluded.

While the onslaught of public attention and the frenzy of hurricane season have faded in the winter months, the needs of horses and horse owners in southern Louisiana endure. New pastures must be planted, new fences and barns will need to be built, and the need for quality hay will continue until warmer days and spring pastures arrive. Those interested in donating directly to the efforts to assist the Louisiana Horse Victims of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita can provide a tax-deductible monetary contribution to the “LVMA Equine Committee Foundation”, a 501(c)3, (write "Horse Hurricane Relief" on the memo line). Please mail contributions to Dr. Sonny Corley, LVMA Equine Committee, 121 E. Gloria Switch, Lafayette, LA 70507 or call 337-235-9945.

Austin Segrera, a local rancher and horse owner, was present when the first two loads of hay arrived. “This is very much needed,” he said. “We are so appreciative of the generosity of the people who made this happen. This hay is beautiful and the horses sure are going to pick up on it.”

Media Contact:
Ky Mortensen
LSU School of Veterinary Medicine
225.578.9590
kmortensen@vetmed.lsu.edu

The mission of the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine is to provide superior education in veterinary medicine and related fields, to offer a wide range of superior services to the general public and the veterinary medical community, and to maintain a relevant, high-quality research program in basic and applied fields.