How to Help Those Affected by Hurricane Harvey

Horsecouncil.org

August 29 2017

Equine organizations offer disaster relief funds

In the wake of one of the worst tropical natural disasters to hit the United States, the residents and animals of Texas need your help. A record 49 inches of rain has fallen in the Houston area, and even more is expected. So what can you do?

There are several equine specific disaster relief funds that you can donate to that will support the efforts of emergency response groups and organizations that are helping horses impacted by the flooding.

• United States Equestrian Federation Equine Disaster Relief Fund: Developed in 2005 during the aftermath of Hurricanes Rita and Katrina, the USEF Equine Disaster Relief Fund was formed to help ensure the safety and well-being of horses during trying times. Since its inception, over $370,000 has been donated to aid horses across all breeds in disaster-related situations. All money donated to the fund is strictly used to benefit horses and horse owners, and the USEF will be working with the Houston SPCA to help animals that have been displaced. To donate to the USEF Disaster Relief Fund: https://www.usef.org/donate

• American Association of Equine Practitioners Foundation Equine Disaster Relief Fund: The AAEP Foundation will work with agencies and veterinary members in Texas, Louisiana and other affected states to identify the needs of the equine community. Supplies are not being accepted currently as the catastrophic storm is still occurring. Once the Foundation receives an assessment of need and distribution protocols from the agencies and veterinary members in the afflicted areas, the Foundation will work to support them with supply needs as well. To support the impending needs of these equine victims, please donate online at https://foundation.aaep.org/form/foundation-donation. If you wish to offer assistance with supplies or other resources, please email Keith Kleine at kkleine@aaep.org and you will be contacted with further instructions.

• Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship International Disaster Relief Fund: The fund helps centers in need due to catastrophic disasters not normally covered by operating insurance. This includes flooding. The fund was started in 2005 to help centers with the damage inflicted by Hurricane Katrina. To donate, click here: Donate to the PATH Intl. Disaster Relief Fund. Additionally, if your PATH Intl. Center needs disaster relief, click here for information and to download the Disaster Relief Fund application.

Additionally, Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner has established the Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund that will accept tax deductible flood relief donations and will be administered by the Greater Houston Community Foundation.

Please share with your fellow members of the horse community, and with anyone wanting to help all those in need!

AAEP Foundation Disaster Relief Fund Accepting Donations to Assist Horses Affected by Hurricane Harvey

August 28 2017

The American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) Foundation’s Equine Disaster Relief Fund is accepting aid to help horses in Texas, Louisiana and other states affected by Hurricane Harvey. Fund donations will be distributed among credible programs and organizations that are helping with recovery and rebuilding efforts in the aftermath and towards preparedness efforts for future disasters.

The AAEP Foundation will work with agencies and veterinary members in Texas, Louisiana and other affected states to identify the needs of the equine community. Supplies are not being accepted currently as the catastrophic storm is still occurring. Once the Foundation receives an assessment of need and distribution protocols from the agencies and veterinary members in the afflicted areas, the Foundation will work to support them with supply needs as well.

"The AAEP, AAEP Foundation and the equine veterinary community are saddened by the tragic loss of life and incredible destruction and flooding caused by Hurricane Harvey,” said AAEP President R. Reynolds Cowles, Jr., DVM. “We are compelled to reach out, together with our members, horse owners and industry leaders, as part of the effort to support the disaster’s equine victims."

To support the impending needs of these equine victims, please donate online at
https://foundation.aaep.org/form/foundation-donation

Donations by mail can be sent to: Equine Disaster Relief Fund, AAEP Foundation, 4033 Iron Works Parkway, Lexington, KY 40511; (800) 443-0177 (U.S. only) or (859) 233-0147.

If you wish to offer assistance with supplies or other resources, please email Keith Kleine at kkleine@aaep.org and you will be contacted with further instructions.

About the AAEP Foundation

The AAEP Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization created in 1994, serves as the charitable arm of the American Association of Equine to improve the welfare of the horse. Since its inception, the Foundation has disbursed more than $4 million to support its mission.

Contact: Sally J. Baker, APR
sbaker@aaep.org or (859) 233-0147

Fats: Not Just an Equine Diet Fad

Thehorse.com - Full Article

By Kristen M. Janicki, MS, PAS Aug 14, 2017

Fats serve many important functions for your horse, from increasing calorie consumption to reducing gastric ulcer severity

Society has seen its share of diet crazes, even in the past decade. From low-carb and high-protein to low-fat and high-fiber, trends have come and gone and come again, making food selection challenging. Luckily, horse owners don’t have as many options when they’re picking their charges’ feed. As herbivores, our horses’ diets must be high-fiber complemented by a commercial product fit to meet their life stage (performance, breeding, growing, etc.). The high-fat diet era began as a way to effectively increase calories without drastically increasing feed volume and, as researchers learn more about the benefit of fats for our four-legged friends, it appears that high-fat diets are here to stay.

What Exactly are Fats?

Fats and oils are part of a class of molecules called lipids. Structurally, all fats contain the following components:

Read more here:
http://www.thehorse.com/articles/38034/fats-not-just-an-equine-diet-fad

Digesting Different Hay Forms

Thehorse.com - Full Article

By Kristen M. Janicki, MS, PAS Aug 21, 2017

Many horse owners have their hay-buying ritual down to a science. But from time to time, owners might find themselves rethinking their ritual, possibly due to drought, floods, or other factors that limit the forage supply in their area.

Fortunately, bales aren't the only hay option. Owners might need to "think outside the bale" and pursue a different form of forage for their charges. Here’s some information about different hay forms owners can consider:...

Read more here:
http://www.thehorse.com/articles/32068/digesting-different-hay-forms?utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=reader-favorites&utm_campaign=08-25-2017

Why the Best Way to See Chilean Patagonia Is on Horseback

Travelandleisure.com - Full Article

For passionate equestrians, this region's rugged mountains and lush pampas provide an experience that is unrivaled anywhere in the world. This is the story of what happened when two old friends who'd long promised each other an adventure finally saddled up and went on the ride of their lives.

by Maggie Shipstead

My best friend, Bailey, and I were lying in a tent on a windy Patagonia night, cheerfully cataloguing the parts of our bodies that hurt. A few hours earlier we’d been cantering through golden fields on the third day of a five-day horseback trek through Chile’s Torres del Paine (pronounced pie-nay) National Park. The exhilaration hadn’t faded, but my back wasn’t happy. Nor were the parts of my pelvis that had come into relentless, sometimes percussive contact with the saddle. Also sore? My knees, ankles, quads, inner thighs, trapezius muscles, upper abs, right elbow, and, as a kind of garnish, my pinkie toes, whose circulation had been cut off all day by my socks. Bailey dug through a stuff sack for more ibuprofen. “I guess we know why it’s called Torres del Pain,” she said, pronouncing it like what we were feeling.

Our group consisted of our guide, Armando, a pair of gauchos who tended the horses, a pub owner from Calgary, Alberta, and the two of us. We’d spent the morning riding from our campsite on an estancia to Grey Glacier, inside the park. The journey, across terrain that abounded with flat expanses ideal for galloping, should have taken 2½ hours. But Calgary, as I’ll call her, wanted to stay at a walk because, she claimed, her horse kept tripping.

“You don’t like the horse?” Armando asked.

Calgary grimaced and shook her head. “This one’s a bit of a dog.”

Bailey and I exchanged glances. Never, ever blame the horse.

We plodded for more than four hours through cold wind and spitting rain until we reached the shore of the glacial lake, where we had a damp picnic near the Hotel Lago Grey, an airy lodge connected to blocks of rooms by raised walkways. Electric-blue icebergs floated on the milky water. Calgary had signed up for a boat excursion to Grey Glacier, but since high winds had made its departure uncertain, we retreated to the hotel bar to have a cerveza while we waited. Clouds scudded over the lagoon. Then, after an hour: a miracle. The boats were going, which meant Calgary would catch a lift later with the support truck, and Bailey and I could return to camp with Armando and the gauchos at our own speed. We practically skipped back to our horses.

Set loose, we breezed across the meadows, passing in and out of sun-showers while black-faced ibis took flight around us. A magnificently craggy clump of ice-topped mountains and cloud-snagging granite spires loomed in the near distance. This was the Paine Massif, the centerpiece of Torres del Paine. Its individual rock features are named after things like horns and cathedrals and fortresses and, most saliently, towers, or torres. Paine is a native word for “blue,” as the massif appeared at a distance to the Tehuelche people. According to Armando, they preferred not to approach too closely, spooked by the frequent thunder of avalanches...

Read more here:
http://www.travelandleisure.com/trip-ideas/nature-travel/torres-del-paine-national-park-chile-patagonia