At Least He Didnât Miss Me Too Much (and Tips for Leaving Your Horse at Home)

For about a week and a half the closest I got to an equine was the stick horses some friends of mine had for the Country Western theme night at the youth camp with which I was helping. The manufactured clip clop and neighing of the plush horses just didn’t quite do it for me though.

And while I was busy running around with a bunch of teenagers, averaging 4.5 hours of sleep a night (more than last year!), facing fears on the high ropes course, and generally acting younger than my age – Ace was at home enjoying long lazy days at grass in the big pasture, getting fed more treats than he knew what to do with from his barn mates’ owners, getting a break from hard work, and generally living the high life.

So when I FINALLY showed up at the barn last night, Ace’s greeting was a little less than enthusiastic.

Of course, it didn’t help that I showed up right at dinner time and took him out of his stall. And I guess that after 9 days of not showing my face around those parts, he just figured that I’d dropped off the face of the earth.

At any rate, Ace survived my absence with flying colors. No scrapes or bumps or issues arose while I was gone. He is happy, healthy, shiny, and as close to fat as a well-fed Thoroughbred can get as ever. Even if he wasn’t beside himself to see me, I was just glad that nothing went amiss while I was gone. Having something happen to my horse while I’m out of town and unreachable is my greatest fear about going away!

Preparing for Vacation and Leaving Your Horse At Home

Fortunately, I made sure I did everything I could to prepare for the trip and to ensure that Ace was in good shape and good hands while I’m gone. If you board your horse, here are some things I would recommend doing for your peace of mind and the care of your horse:

• Make sure he’s up-to-date on regular care. Is your horse about due to have his feet trimmed? Ace was due the week I was gone, so I got it done a little early this time around. I know that for Ace it’s been not to let his feet go too long between trims or he starts to have problems. Also check to see if it’s time for de-worming and make sure you’ve got that handled.
• Check supplies. Do you provide your own feed or does your horse get supplements? Make sure their are plenty of each for the timeframe that you are gone. Also, it never hurts to have an extra fly mask or halter on his stall in case he loses or destroys one while you are gone.
• Authorize someone to make decisions in your absence. My good friend Dave lives just a few miles from the barn, and I trust him to make the same decisions for Ace that I would. If something would happen to Ace and he requires attention, I know Dave is available and skilled. I leave his number on Ace’s stall and tell barn management to call him.I have heard horror stories of people gone on vacation whose horse colicked. They couldn’t be reached, and the horse suffered because he couldn’t be euthanized or taken to surgery without their permission. As awful as it sounds, plan for the worst and hope for the best.
• Leave emergency contact numbers. I didn’t have cell phone reception at camp, so I let everyone know I was not reachable at all. I left Dave’s cell phone number in case of emergency, and gave him the phone number for the camp if it was really really needed. Always leave your phone numbers and the numbers for your authorized friend.
• Give your horse lots of treats and love before you go. Great way to get over the stress of packing and cleaning for a trip? Get it all done and leave plenty of time the night before you leave to spend it with your horse. It was a great way to unwind mentally, plus I felt better about leaving Ace for a week since I spent some unhurried, quality time with him.
• Tell all your barn friends that you are going to be gone and when. It’s important that your barn owner and the people who provide daily care know when you are gone and where you will be. Bonus? Tell every barn friend you have too, because they will keep an eye on your horse – and probably give him some love and treats in the process. The more people you have keeping an eye on him the better you’ll feel! I have people who feed Ace treats, people who get him out of his stall to watch him move, and people responsible for cleaning out his feet. It pays to make friends at your barn! (and offer to do it for their horses when they go out of town!)

Taking the time to cover these basic going-away steps will ensure that both you and your horse can relax while you are away on vacation. Do you have anything you would add to this list of tips?

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