I attended the training session in Montgomery County, July 30, which included four speakers on reacting to animal disasters. Disasters could be a naturally occurring disease, weather event, or terrorist induced event affecting animals (or animals and humans). Terrorists could use an animal disease to cause economic damage or one that is transmissible to humans, etc. Speakers were as follows:

1. Veterinarian from the Department of Agriculture discussed Foot and Mouth Disease, Mad Cow Disease, West Nile Virus, etc. and what could be done to contain outbreaks. Also talked about disposal methods for large number of animals and a recent avian flu outbreak in Virginia, how it spread, how large a number of poultry had to be destroyed, and Maryland's concerns.

2. Director of Animal Control, Montgomery County, discussed agreements with other counties for cooperation in case of disaster. Each county has very limited staff but could respond to help others.

3. Agriculture Services Representative talked about importance of agriculture and number of cattle, horses, etc, in Maryland (14,000 horses, 12,000 cows, 2000 sheep and pigs).

4. Humane Society Representative discussed animal considerations in catastrophic events.

Montgomery County will form some working groups on these topics. If anyone is interested, they should call Kathleen Hennings of the MOCo EMG (240-777-2300). It would be particularly nice for a TROT member from Montgomery County to become active in these discussions, if we have anyone interested (I have three packages of the handouts I could pass on).

One thing for TROT members to think about is: What would you do if – due to a hurricane, terrorist dirty bomb, hazardous material spill, etc. – you had to evacuate your area? Would you be able to take your animals and where would you go? If you could not take them, were forced to abandon them, would you leave them inside, outside, with halters, without? Sometimes an evacuation might be expected to be for a few hours but could stretch into days. The Humane Society passed out informative brochures on this subject.

Would there be a role for TROT Search And Rescue in an animal disaster? Mounted or unmounted? We have some experience in handling large animals, and we have trailers for transporting animals. This may be getting away from our search charter. Something to consider.

For additional information, Bill Mitchell may be contacted at 410-531-6652 or bmitchell@hst.nasa.gov and Suzanne Anderson at 301-829-3881 or trailsendfarm@pop.erols.com.

What to do:
Step 1:   Stop your horse and keep him quiet. Movement will speed up the distribution of venom throughout his body.

Step 2:   Remove your snakebite kit from your first-aid kit.

Step 3:   Use Betadyne solution to thoroughly clean the area surrounding the puncture wounds you've identified.

Step 4:   With your thumb and forefinger, squeeze together one of the suction cups from your kit; place it over the bite marks and release your fingers' hold. Doing so will apply the suction necessary to draw venom out of the wound. Repeat several times, over each mark. Do not attempt to apply a tourniquet.

Step 5:   If at all possible, bring your trailer to your horse. Otherwise, slowly lead your horse home, or to your trailer, stopping every 15 minutes to allow him to rest. (Don't walk him any farther than absolutely necessary.) Summon your vet as soon as you get home, or haul your horse to an equine clinic.

Step 6:   If your horse's nose begins to swell, gently insert a 6-inch piece of garden hose from your first-aid kit into each nostril, to keep his airways open.

• Riding in an area known to have poisonous snake populations.
• Poorly maintained trails with logs, large rocks, or other such snake hideaways.
• Water crossings/standing water on trails in areas where poisonous water snakes reside.
• Riding near paved roads at night; when the sun sets and temperatures cool down, snakes are attracted to the warmth held in by pavement.

• Opposition to the acquisition of trails Montgomery County is trying to obtain and maintain; the Sierra Club introduced the bill. The importance of all groups living and sharing together was discussed, including golf course proponents.
• An agriculture preservation group that is turning in riding stables that don't have special exceptions to operate. A task force of riding stables is being formed to push planning and zoning to make a text amendment to the zoning laws to allow riding stables not to have to obtain the special exceptions; or at least an umbrella that exempts those stables already operating; or, lastly, having horses brought under the agricultural umbrella instead of being considered recreational pets. An equestrian community group will be needed to form an association to lobby Park and Planning and the commissioners for the best interest of equine world.
• A pony division for the Judged Pleasure Ride next year was discussed.
• The Landowners Liability Law is being upheld, thanks to David Scull who is a lawyer, bicycler and a TROT member
• Conditions of the trails in Greenbelt Park were discussed.
• TROT is to receive funding for the GPS trail mapping from the Maryland Horse Council.
• Volunteers are needed for the MHC trails and Greenways Committee.

THE ART OF SNORTING: Humans like to be snorted on. Everywhere. It is your duty, as the family horse, to accommodate them.

NEIGHING: Because you are a horse, you are expected to neigh. So neigh - a lot. Your owners will be very happy to hear you protecting the barn and communicating with other horses. Especially late at night while they are sleeping safely in their beds. There is no more secure feeling for a human than to keep waking up in the middle of the night and hearing you, "Neigh, neigh, neigh..."

STOMPING CATS: When standing on cross ties, make sure you never --- quite--- stomp on the barn cat's tail. It spoils all the fun.

CHEWING: Make a contribution to the architectural industry.... chew on your stall wall, the fence or any other wooden item.

FRESH BEDDING: It is perfectly permissible to urinate in the middle of your freshly bedded stall to let your humans know how much you appreciate their hard work.

DINING ETIQUETTE: Always pull all of your hay out of the hay rack, especially right after your stall has been cleaned, so you can mix the hay with your fresh bedding. This challenges your human, the next time they're cleaning your stall - and we all know how humans love a challenge (that's what they said when they bought you as a two year old, right?).

DOORS: Any door, even partially open, is always an invitation for you and your human to exercise. Bolt out of the door and trot around, just out of reach of your human, who will frantically run after and chase you. The longer it goes on, the more fun it is for all involved.

GOING FOR TRAIL RIDES: Rules of the road: When out for a trail ride with your owner, never go to the bathroom on your own lawn.

HOLES: Rather than pawing and digging a BIG hole in the middle of the paddock or stall and upsetting your human, dig a lot of smaller holes all over so they won't notice. If you arrange a little pile of dirt on one side of each hole, maybe they'll think it's gophers. There are never enough holes in the ground. Strive daily to do your part to help correct this problem.

GROUND MANNERS: Ground manners are very important to humans; break as much of the ground in and around the barn as possible. This lets the ground know who's boss and impresses your human.

NUZZLING: Always take a BIG drink from your water trough immediately before nuzzling your human. Humans prefer clean muzzles. Be ready to rub your head on the area of your human that you just nuzzled to dry it off, too.

PLAYING: If you lose your footing while frolicking in the paddock, use one of the other horses to absorb your fall so you don't injure yourself. Then the other horse will get a visit from the mean ol' vet, not you!

VISITORS: Quickly determine which guest is afraid of horses. Rock back and forth on the cross-ties, neighing loudly and pawing playfully at this person. If the human backs away and starts crying, swoosh your tail, stamp your feet and nicker gently to show your concern.

Oct 12 - Saturday:    Rock Creek Park, Washington DC    Come and explore the trails of Rock Creek Park with Laury Lobel. Enjoy the woodland trails and Rock Creek, located in the heart of the Nation's Capital. This ride plans to leave at 11 AM. Laury asks that you call about this ride no later than Thursday, October 10 so she can be sure about the number of riders coming. Contact Laury Lobel at her Email address, Laurylobel@ix.netcom.com (If you need a phone number, she can also be reached at 301/774-9595). Rain date Sunday, October 13.

Oct 14 - Tuesday:    TROT Board Meeting at Gale Monahan's house! 7:30 pm

Oct 19 - Saturday:    This ride will either be in Rachel Carson Regional Park or on trails in the adjacent area in Montgomery County. The park has lovely trails that take you along the Hawlings River; the alternative ride will consist of both woods and fields. Call Rona Bloom at 301/622-7662 for more details.

Oct 26 - Saturday:    N.E. Branch Anacostia River, P.G. Co. These trails are a tribute to trail preservation and Mary and John Angevine's efforts. They wind through parks and playgrounds, tunnels, bridges, and wide open levees. Contact John Angevine at 301/937-0014.

Nov 10 - Sunday:    Camp Waredaca, Patuxant River State Park, Mont. Co. This ride was rescheduled from June due to a conflict with the TROT judged pleasure ride. These great trails traverse farmland fields into the Patuxant River Park. These trails may overlap and eventually connect with the Upper Patuxant River trails you can explore on a future ride. You may have the interesting experience of riding by some of the cross-country jumps at Waredaca. This is a fun trot/canter ride with a few small log jumps on some of the trails. Contact Gayle Ford at 410/552-5372.

Nov 12 - Tuesday: TROT Board Meeting at Gale Monahan's house! 7:30 pm

Dec 10 - Tuesday: TROT Board Meeting at Gale Monahan's house! 7:30 pm

February 15, 2003 - Saturday: ANNUAL POT LUCK!

THE HORSE

On the first day of creation, the Horse was created;

On the second day, man was created to serve the Horse;

On the third day, all the animals of the earth to spook the Horse when man was on his back were created;

On the fourth day, an honest days work was created so that man could labor to pay for the keeping of the Horse;

On the fifth day, the grasses in the field were created so that the Horse could eat and the man could toil and cleanup after the Horse;

On the sixth day, veterinary science was created to keep the Horse healthy and the man broke;

On the seventh day, the day of rest, the creator was heard to murmor, "This is good. This will teach Man humility, it will tire him out and keep him striving ever forward to meet the needs of the Horse."

Bran Muffins

Stir together bran, flour, soda, and baking powder. Mix together milk, molasses, oil, and egg. Mix wet ingredients into dry ingredients. Bake in greased or paper lined muffin tins at 400 degrees for 15 minutes.

Bowie Boarding – 12x12 stalls with interlocking rubber mats, trace mineral block and salt block in each stall. Small group turnout for 12 hours each day. Oak fences with one strand of electric on top. Feeding twice per day with Timothy hay and Purina Horseman's Edge feed. Barn with an indoor bathroom, hot and cold water, wash stall, cross ties, Tack lockers and lounge with AC, gas heat, microwave, refrigerator. New outdoor 110'x200' arena (currently installing lights). Ample room for trailer parking. Located on the WB&A trial with many connecting trails. Blue Skys Stable 301-809-2454

WANTED: Field Board/Lease arrangement for 5-7 horses with access to Patuxent Park, Damascus to Roxbury Mills area. Desired: tack storage, electricity, shelter area for horses. Self-care O.K. Cindy Rosen 301-482-0664

Western Saddle: 2 years old, fully floral tooled in pecan leather. Ralide tree, 4" cantle, horn is 3" high. Size 16". Suede seat, matching breast collar, bridle & reins. Owner ill, no longer able to ride, must sell. $650, paid $1000. Debbie 301-253-1401 or Dganassa@cs.com.

Professional guide and outfitter from Wyoming will be offering five of his personal horses for sale. Horses will be arriving in northern Virginia (Leesburg area) early November.

All of these horses were broke this past spring (2002) and have been used as lead horses this summer. These horses will make excellent trail riding, competitive trail or endurance mounts.

Please refer to TROT in the subject line or your email may not be opened.

PLEASE NOTE: The mailing of the newsletter is not done by the editor. Please refer your concerns to the TROT BOARD. Thank you!

WHO'S WHO IN TROT

Fly Sheets?

I have two horses I used sheets on this summer. One is my show mare that is always out in a large turnout by trees and a swampy creek. The other mare is turned out in the day and stalled at night. I have my show mare covered day and night with a Rider's Horse Clothing International protective neck cover, flysheet and leg fly wraps. These are the heavy polyester vinyl-coated mesh sheets. They work very well for both flies and uv protection. They also polish my show mare. Everyone alway comments how nice her coat is. My show mare tolerates the sheets and leg wraps very well. Even in the 95 plus degrees.

My other mare has very sensitive skin and sweats easily. I only put the sheet on her when it is 90 or below because she rubs the fence with it on. I have used the HIB flysheet with a Rider's neck cover. I like the Rider's best because it has the leg straps. The HIB is more expensive and only has a string across the back which can rub. I feel it gets in the way of the horses tail swishing too (which loses precious tail hair). Without the string if the horse rolls, it can get over the head and come off. I found it off of my show mare 2 or 3 times this summer. Then I started using the Rider's sheet on her. Some horses will stomp more with the fly leg wraps on. The leg wraps have saved my show mares legs. They need to be checked, cleaned and rewrapped but they are worth it. I have done a lot of research before I purchased my sheets and for the price and quality I would recommend the Rider's fly sheet and neck cover. I purchased mine from Dover Saddlery. I purchased the leg wraps from Valley Vet Supply. I hope this info helps a lot of people and their horses. Sincerely, Julie Darsow at Fort Meade Equestrian Center.

Electrolytes

In 1998 I purchased Winston, a school horse who was being retired from the Rock Creek Park Horse Center. I'd ridden him on trail rides several times and liked his personality. Generally, I wanted a quiet, dependable horse to take me out on trails with my very young grandchildren aboard. During my period of ownership I had two vet emergencies: 1) he aspirated some carrots one day and 2) he became dehydrated on another occasion. This all led to his getting a special ration of senior diet and alfalfa cubes soaked in hot water with electrolytes every four hours around the clock. The changes were amazing. He put on weight. He'd had a rather unsightly growth on his neck about the size of the first joint of my thumb which vanished over a period of months. His energy level increased way beyond the amount of exercise I could organize for him. He is back to work at the school, and was the polo pony star for a few select summer camp riders this year. I visit him regularly and still ride him occasionally. He always has his ears pricked forward and is a joy to see. In his case, with very worn down teeth and a dislike for drinking water, electrolytes made a fantastic difference.

Thanks to vze4fhz4@verizon.net for her above comments!

WATER AND MOSQUITOES

The drought we are in is really getting to be a problem. While well water levels are going down, you cannot ration water to horses. Horse need unlimited access to water to avoid illness. Catching water from your barn roof is a perfectly good way to water horses. All you need are some gutters and a downspout to direct the water into a large trough. The trough needs to be large enough to catch as much as possible during each rain, since it doesn't rain that often--and the trough needs to be on fairly level ground. Two or three troughs on different sides of the barn may be beneficial.

Even though catching and saving a large amount of water is a smart thing to do, there is now a problem with breeding mosquitoes and the spread of West Nile Virus. The advice usually given to control the local mosquito population is to dump standing water every four days, but you may be saving downspout water for much longer.

Here are a few suggestions to solve this conflict. Buy a tarp to cover the troughs that are not being used. This will foil the mosquitoes that lay eggs during the day and night; also, when the horses are taken out of a larger pasture to a smaller paddock for safety at night, cover any water trough that is in the big field. The night mosquitoes start laying eggs at early dusk, so a tarp method works best if put down before dusk.

The second way is to buy a wire sieve with a small enough weave to catch the "mosquito egg rafts". Every morning, take a minute to use the sieve to scoop out the eggs. Knock them down to the ground and they will not survive. Mosquito egg rafts float on the water; each separate egg is very thin, but a group form a flat oval shape. They are opaque white or charcoal gray and look somewhat like the center of a Black Eyed Susan broken into little bits! If you have any doubt, scoop some into a glass jar...you'll have mosquito larvae in a few days.

"Mosquito Dunks", available at Southern States, is a donut shaped product to kill mosquito larvae in standing water. There is conflicting advice about its use in horses' water troughs. Talk to your vet to get more information on this product before using. It is late in the season to be talking about mosquitoes, but no doubt West Nile will be with us again next year. Talk to your vet about mosquito control and the vaccination for West Nile Virus.

Thanks to Carol P. Iglehart of Woodbine, for her contribution of the above article.