With the Breeders' Cup coming up in several days and other equine and equestrian events scheduled throughout the United States, Hurricane Sandy has caused not only anxiety, but also destruction to horse facilities, training schedules and events.
Hurricane Sandy wreaking havoc
New York trainers arriving at Santa Anita in Arcadia, CA, where the Breeders' Cup is held counted themselves lucky that they and their horses were able to safely escape New YOrk before superstorm Sandy hit.
© 2012 by NASA
New York trainers arriving at Santa Anita where the Breeders' Cup is held counted themselves lucky that they and their horses were able to safely escape New York before superstorm Sandy hit.
Mott and Chad Brown had horses on the last flight out in the early hours of Monday morning. Later that day, the trainers took a circuitous route to California, flying from Albany, N.Y., to Florida to make connections for Los Angeles.
While both Aqueduct and Belmont Park suffered power outages, there were no reports of major damage or injuries at either track.
“Everybody is fine back there,” Mott said. “There were no incidents. A lot of trees came down at Belmont. Nothing fell on the barn and no horses were injured and all the help is safe.”
While there are runners to prep for the Breeders’ Cup, it’s hard not to think about family, friends and staff left behind to deal with blackouts and cleanups.
“It’s difficult,” said Brown, the trainer of Awesome Feather. “Not only is my family back home but my whole business is back there. A lot of other trainers are in the same boat. So many things are going on, but luckily it doesn’t look like anything serious has happened to my business. We’re fortunate for that.”
The last contingent of New York horses, including Shanghai Bobby, the undefeated 2-1 favorite in the $2 million Juvenile, were stranded when their Tuesday flight was canceled. Conditions permitting, they will fly out on today.
According to S. Cotton and T. McBride of Colorado State University Extension Service, diasters bring, "adrenalin, panic and confusion that affects both humans and animals. The survival instincts of horses and other livestock can make normal handling techniques ineffective."
Most horse owners that live in recognized diaster areas have disaster plans and at least some disaster preparedness. The most crucial management priorities during a disaster should focus on immediate safety for both humans and horses.
With many people in the United States moving back to rural communities, they also move farther from the protection offered by urban and suburban infrastructure. It can be argued that rural living offers improved aesthetics,lower noise levels, and the feel of more elbow room, along with the space to have horses and other animals.
In most cases, the response time and resources in rural areas are greatly reduced. Handling disasters, those catastrophic events which stretch the capacity of communities, can only be approached with preparedness, pre-planned reaction and post-event mitigation. During a disaster event, rural residents often find their personal safety a large enough challenge without the added burden of caring for horses and other livestock.
For those caught in the coastal floods, wind, and heavy rain generated by Sandy, the fear of losing animals, feed, facilities and has turned into reality for some horse and livestock owners. Although many had time to prepare for the onslaught of the hurricane, it will take days, weeks, and months for many to return to a normal routine.
As Martha Steward tweeted from her compound:
@MarthaStewart: the dogs do not want to go outside -the cats have not moved from their beds all day-the horses,donkeys,chickens are all inside-are you?