Eighteen horses died in a fire at a horse stable on the night of Wednesday, July 24, to Thursday, July 25, according to a fire department spokesman. The horse barn was completely destroyed by the fire.
Only two horses could be rescued out of the stable. No persons were injured.
Firefighters ask me in response to this sad incident, by virtue of my position as an accredited BARTA INSTRUCTOR LARGE ANIMAL RESCUE RESPONDER, ( one of only two in Europe), how horse owners and equestrian center owners can safely and quickly evacuate their horses in the event of a barn fire.
It is unfortunately the reality that when there is a barn fire, horses do not want to go outside, or even run back into the barn.
Why they do this is not entirely known, however a number of factors play a role:
- It's their “safety place,” many horses stay there almost the entire day!
They quickly associate the barn and their horsebox with feed/water and their herd mates.
- This additionally triggers the herd instinct in the horses.
I often see that when some horses are removed from the barn, the remaining horses become visibly more nervous and stressed.
In such a situation, especially in barn fires, you see the released horses returning to the burning barn to find out what is going on with their straggling counterparts.
- Strange smells, strange and loud noises increase stress levels quickly in both humans and animals!
TRAIN YOUR HORSES FOR EMERGENCIES:
- Horses that are trained to leave the barn quickly in the event of danger often do not return to the barn.
They are used to the escape route and do not see this way out as “unknown danger.”
They have done it before and quickly understand how to react to emergencies and where to go safely.
- Horses are fortunately easy to train on this, both individually and also as a group.
- In emergency situations, despite this training, horses can get injured; at fire, all animals are evacuated as quickly as possible, including those that normally never go outside at the same time!
This can lead to unexpected reactions in horses. (I do not exclude this as one of the main reasons, why horse owners do not practice such an evacuation drill...).
THE HERD EFFECT:
- This can lead to dangerous situations, especially for the people trying to rescue the animals and for the emergency responders at the scene.
- While emergency responders are used to dealing with barn fires and individuals who panic, a group of horses running back into the barn in a panic to check out the situation with their peers is something completely different.
THEREFORE, BE WELL PREPARED FOR ANY EMERGENCY:
- Do you have an evacuation plan?
- Do you have a logical and orderly walking route to ensure that you can get all horses out of the barn quickly and in an organized manner safely?
- Is this walking route free of obstacles?
- Is everyone aware of which are the entrances and exits in case of an emergency?
- Does the area outside provide a place for the horses to go and from which they cannot get back into the barn?
- Is your property fenced such that horses cannot walk on public roads (this fencing also keeps outsiders off the property!).
- Describe and write down your evacuation plan and discuss it with staff/family members and the fire department.
- Not all firefighters know how to handle horses in panic situations, no one can blame them for that!
ALL THIS CAN MAKE THE DIFFERENCE IN A BARN FIRE, BOTH FOR THE HORSES AND FOR THE PEOPLE WHO WORK WITH AND FOR YOU!
Source photos Ronald Rongen