A horse property is at risk of multiple assaults ranging from lawsuits to theft to injury to your horses. In two parts, we’ll look at the many ways you can protect your horses, your assets and equipment.
Signage
A farm or training center that invites many people to the premises does best by placing signage that directs visitors where to go. What sorts of signage should you post around the property?
First off, one of the most important signs for horse facilities is the no-risk or equine liability sign. As an example: “Under Colorado Law, an equine professional is not liable for an injury to or the death of a participant in equine activities resulting from the inherent risks of equine activities, pursuant to section 13-21-119, Colorado Revised Statutes.” Each state has its own wording so acquire the signage appropriate to your location. Post the sign in a highly visible area and put up more than one sign if the size of the facility warrants it.
Other important signs can be posted in multiple locations:
“Warning. Electric Fence.” This protects adults and children from shocks, and if people are aware of the electric fencing, they can take steps to keep dogs and cats away from the vicinity.
“Please Close the Gate” is important to prevent horses from escaping. It also helps to have latches that are not easily opened by a horse’s inquisitive mouth.
“Please Don’t Feed the Horses” prevents horses from eating materials that could be hazardous to their health.
“No Smoking in Barn” is self-explanatory. A dropped cigarette or match could result in a disastrous fire.
Biosecurity signs are quite important to prevent spread of infectious disease around a property. To be effective, they need to be highly visible and in line of sight, not tucked away behind a door or amongst a number of other signs hung in the same place. These signs should note policies about farm visitors and requirements for protective clothing and boots for entry into a barn or horse-holding area.
Stop Neighbors/Strangers from Feeding Horses
Many years ago, my partner was called out to a farm to see why two horses had suddenly died. What he found was heartbreaking – neighbors had dumped a copious amount of grass clippings over the fence, and the horses happily indulged to the point where the grass fermented enough to rupture their stomachs, which resulted in death.
There are many good reasons why neighbors and strangers should not feed your horses. They may not have any knowledge of horse physiology or even what horses need to eat and what to avoid. Some horses are on strict dietary restrictions due to endocrine and obesity issues and laminitis risk. Oddball offerings pose a risk for colic or choke. A horse may be aggressive in how it takes an offering and a person gets bitten, with potential liability concerns for you. Horses may get into skirmishes as they jockey for position around a person offering handouts over the fence, leading to potential horse injury.
So, how do you protect your horses from unwanted consequences of well-intentioned people? The primary strategy for prevention relies on appropriate and well-positioned signage. Electrifying the fence line (with appropriate signage) keeps people a distance away. In extreme cases, you may need to double fence horses away from road or people access so they can’t be reached directly. That said, it doesn’t stop people from throwing things over the fence.
If you suspect a person is violating your requests to leave your horses alone, you may have to monitor the fence (in person or with cameras) and confront the individual directly. Place a sign that states that there are cameras recording them. “No trespassing” signs may help ward off less motivated individuals. In difficult cases, you may need to contact the sheriff for advice and help.
Cameras for Barns/Tack Rooms
It is commonplace these days for door cameras to record events happening in the front of a home, with these events available…
