Horses. They sure have had a week of being horses around here. You would think I could say that every week. Luckily, they aren’t all that way. We’ve had two horses decide fences were fun to put their legs through, one who wildly over-estimated his ability to jump a fence, one who thought eating all the hay placed in front of them was reasonable, and another who suffered from the poor design of the equine GI tract.

Where am I going, you ask? Horses are going to be horses. No matter how well you design your farm, they are going to find a way to hurt themselves, or Mother Nature is going to work against you with her questionable interior design. Having a plan is necessary when you have horses. Cats always land on their feet. I’m pretty sure horses always land in the manner which causes them the most bodily harm. 

First Aid Kit

Have one. In fact, call my minions and pick one up at the Clinic, or have them ship you one. We’ve got one ready made. Here’s what’s in it:

I also suggest you add the following to your first aid kit: 

·Pocket knife/multi tool

·Lead Rope

·Towels

·Info card with your horse’s normal vitals and microchip number

·Copy of Coggins

Armed with these supplies, you are prepared to manage just about anything a horse can do until one of my Docs arrive.

Insurance/Savings Account

Horses are expensive. I like to be a high maintenance guy with my diabetes and my overly sensitive skin, but I’ve got nothing, and I mean nothing, on a horse. A simple colic can be $500, a laceration can easily go into the $1000 range, and don’t get me started on surgeries. Before your horse sizes up your fence, tries to jump, doesn’t make it, and lays their chest open, have a plan for payment. Don’t be in denial that your horse won’t try to drain your bank account. Every. Single. One. Of. Them does it! 

Being the smart cat I am, I have two solid recommendations: a savings account, and insurance. A combination of the two is really your best bet. There are a ton of insurance options for horses. Even if your horses can’t be given a high value by an appraiser, they’re priceless to you. There are insurance plans that will let you cover colic surgery only, some hospitalization only, or all the things. Talking with a great insurance agent will open your eyes to the many options available. You can start by watching our Insurance Seminar over on our YouTube channel at this link (https://youtu.be/el7H3W9VCJI). 

You should also have a savings account with your horse’s name on it. Being the fiscally responsible cat I am, I would put a dollar amount in there every month. This way you have a cushion when Flicka finds the one stick in the pasture to impale herself on. You can also use it to cover the deductible on your insured horse. Win:Win. It’s important to know that many insurance policies work by reimbursing you after you’ve paid your vet bill. That makes the savings account even more important.

Documents

Be prepared even when you’re not there. Going away on vacation? Hit the menu above to find our boarding agreement document. This document works great if you are boarding to authorize your barn owner/manager to take care of your horse in your absence. It also works to authorize your farm sitter when you’re out of town. We’ve got an area for you to let us know how much you want to spend on your horse, how far you would like to go with treatments, and your wishes if your horse passes away. Super-useful so that you can enjoy that vacation with a little less worrying about the horses. 

Be prepared for the worst. You humans don’t like to even think about death, but if you’ve got horses, you need a plan in case the unspeakable happens to you. Talk with an attorney about setting up a trust for your cats, I mean horses, so they get the care you desire even if you are gone. My Docs see lots of horses in bad situations because their owners passed away suddenly, and there was no plan for the horses. My experience has been that humans hate planning for this part of the cycle of life. Do it. Get it over with. Move on. Life advice by Tony.

Spending a little bit of time planning for all the crazy things horses and life can throw at you will reap large rewards later. Take some advice from this wise cat. Get a first aid kit, investigate insurance, and look into a Trust. You can get it all done in less time than I spend lounging on the front benches every day. You can thank me at the next seminar. 

Until next week,

~Tony

P.S. In case you missed it, my Docs put on a seminar recently about Acupuncture and Chiropractic, which is called Equine Medical Manipulation, or EMM, in horses. You can watch the video on my YouTube channel, along with many other past seminars. It’s a great resource, and it’s free! You’re welcome. Before you go, scroll down a bit more and subscribe to my blog. It’s the big purple block, you can’t miss it. Go on. Do it now. Obey the Cat.