08/05/2026
We all know it’s that time, heck you can’t turn on the news or read a story online that doesn’t talk about the fires everywhere right now! If you’re an animal owner, please prepare BEFORE the emergency is at your door because your animals lives (and the lives of potential rescuers) could be at stake.
Be safe, be prepared
Worth the Read Wednesday
Are You and Your Horse Ready for an Emergency?
🔥 With wildfires burning in so many areas right now—including one not far from Horse Creek Ranch—it is a timely reminder that emergency preparedness is part of good horsemanship.
When smoke is in the air, vehicles are moving, people are rushing, and your own adrenaline is high, that is not the time to discover that your horse won’t load in the trailer or that the communication you have at home disappears under pressure.
One of the most valuable things you can give your horse is preparation.
Trailer loading shouldn't only be something you practice when you have somewhere to go. Your horse should understand how to approach the trailer, move forward from your request, back up, move their hips and shoulders, and respond to pressure—even when their environment becomes stressful.
Because in an emergency, you may not have an hour to convince your horse to get in.
But preparedness goes beyond trailer loading.
Ask yourself: Do I have communication tools that still work when my horse becomes worried?
Can you direct their feet? Can you regain their attention? Can you ask them to move forward, backward, left or right? Can you help them find an answer when their instinct is telling them to react?
These are the same foundational skills we work on in everyday horsemanship—but in an emergency, they can become incredibly important.
It is also worth taking some time to create an evacuation plan before you ever need one. Consider:
• Where will your horses go if you have to evacuate?
• Do you have more than one evacuation route?
• Is your truck fueled and trailer accessible and ready to hook up?
• Will every horse reliably load into the trailer you may need to use?
• Are halters and lead ropes easy to access?
• Do you have identification and current photos for each horse?
• Are important phone numbers and veterinary information stored somewhere you can access quickly?
• Do you have feed, water, medications and basic supplies ready to take?
• If you have more horses than trailer space, what is your backup plan?
• Who could help if you aren't home when an evacuation order comes?
And don't just make the plan—practice it.
Preparation doesn't mean we expect something bad to happen. It means we don't wait for a bad situation to start teaching the skills we may desperately need.
At Steve Rother Horsemanship, we talk a lot about developing communication, leadership and a willing partnership with your horse. Those things certainly make our everyday rides better—but their value goes far beyond the arena.
When circumstances become difficult, scary or unpredictable, you want to have a language with your horse that both of you already understand.
Train it on the good days so it's there when you need it on the hard ones.
💬 What’s part of your emergency plan? Share your best preparedness tips in the comments below. You may have thought of something another horse owner hasn’t—and that one idea could make a real difference when time matters.
Stay safe, stay prepared, and keep everyone affected by the fires—two-legged and four-legged—in your thoughts. ❤️🐴
www.SchoolofHorse.com
