I was 5 years old when I first told my parents I wanted to be a veterinarian. As the third of three kids, there were not nearly as many photos of me as there were of my older brother and sister. Nevertheless, nearly every photo of me included an animal of some kind… dogs, horses, […]
Horse Emergency Preparedness: ID Tags That Save Lives Read More »
Our personal experience evacuating from the Alexander Mountain Fire My husband and I were boating on a beautiful Fort Collins, Colorado reservoir, tucked into a cove, enjoying perfect temperatures and a light breeze. Because we were surrounded by mountains, we were blissfully unaware of the plume of smoke that was rising from the direction of
Horse ID Tags… Cheap Insurance for Natural Disasters Read More »
I regularly see posts on Facebook from people inquiring about horse identification options. In my opinion, not nearly enough people are proactive about having identification on their horses. As a retired veterinarian, I am passionate about good animal husbandry practices. Therefore, I am always glad to see someone inquire about what types of identification are
Horse Identification… What is Safe, Stable, and First Responder Approved? Read More »
The Alexander Mountain Fire My husband and I were boating on a beautiful Fort Collins, Colorado reservoir five days ago. We were tucked into a cove, enjoying perfect temperatures and a light breeze. Because we were surrounded by mountains, we were blissfully unaware of the plume of smoke that was rising from the direction of
EVACUATED Because of the Alexander Mountain Fire Read More »
Out of sight, out of mind? When Russia invaded Ukraine in February, I was glued to my television for days, even weeks. It was incomprehensible to me how one moment, people could be going about their daily lives, and the next moment, they were engulfed in a war. Initially, my thoughts were nearly 100% focused
The Plight of Ukrainian Horses and Companion Animals Read More »
I raised a daughter whose mantra has always been, “Whatever happens, happens.” She had a rough beginning in life and did not join my family until she was a toddler. Between her early childhood trauma and her genetics, she has decided that she has little to no control over how her life unfolds. If she
No Decision IS a Decision Read More »
I recently attended an Emergency Preparedness Clinic sponsored by several organizations within Boulder County, Colorado. The clinic was held because recent events here demonstrated that very, very few people have a disaster emergency plan. Are you one of those people? Late last December, the Marshall Fire burned over six thousand acres and destroyed over a
Disaster Emergency Plan… Are YOU Prepared? Read More »
Alan and I are no stranger to wildfires threatening us, our home, and our animals. Our Colorado home was within a couple of miles of the Cameron Peak Fire in Colorado late in 2020. As close as that was, it is even scarier to have a wildfire burning along the other side of the fence
TERRIFYING WILDFIRE RIGHT NEXT DOOR! Read More »
I first encountered the term risk tolerance as it applied to questions our financial advisor asked my husband Alan and me. Our advisor wanted to know how safe we wanted to be when it came to deciding how to invest our funds. If we risked more, we could potentially make more, but we could also
What is Your Risk Tolerance? Read More »
Right before Alan and I left Colorado for the winter, I wrote about our ride to Kruger Rock in Homestead Meadows. Imagine our dismay to learn that on Tuesday, November 16th, high winds blew a tree into power lines and started a fire in that area. First the floods… As I have mentioned in the
The Kruger Rock Wildfire in Estes Park Read More »
My husband and I own horses so that we can trail ride and enjoy our equine company. Our summers are spent in one of the most beautiful areas of the country. We have done our best to schedule two days a week to hit the trails, working around a myriad of other things on our
WILDFIRES! HURRICANES! Reality Intruding Into Our Lives Read More »
Our 12,000 mile, 13 state equitrekking adventure was nearing completion. After visiting Kentucky Horse Park, we headed for Natchez Trace State Park in Tennessee. The original plan was to set up camp, get the horses settled, and then spend a day in Nashville. I searched, and searched, and searched for a place to camp near
Natchez Trace State Park in Tennessee Read More »
Last week, I preempted my original blog schedule to write about the fire that was threatening to consume our home. A week later, Mother Nature’s snow has assisted the incredibly hard-working firefighters and police officers… but we are far from out of danger. But happily, at least for now, our home is still standing! On
A SECOND Devastating Fire Forces Evacuation of Estes Park! Read More »
Never again will I encounter a firefighter that I won’t acknowledge my extreme indebtedness for what they do. In last week’s blog about the medical evacuation by helicopter from 4-J Big Piney, I indicated I’d talk about Coldwater Ranch this week. Things have changed. The feature photo is a view of the fire consuming much
Wildfire Burning ON OUR MOUNTAIN! Read More »
Colorado, California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Wyoming are all experiencing wildfires. Actually, those are not the only states, but some with the worst problem right now. Let me tell you, living on the bubble of imminent evacuation is super stressful. I have preempted several previously scheduled blogs these past few weeks to describe what is
On the Bubble for Fire Evacuation! Read More »
I was prepared to write about something else this week… but then this amazing article appeared in my inbox. Two weeks ago, I wrote about Fire in My Backyard! As of this writing, firefighters have zero containment of the Cameron Peak fire. Briefly, a second fire threatened our safety. Fortunately, they got that one extinguished. However,
What Should You Do if Faced With an Advancing Fire? Read More »
It is very scary to awaken to the smell of smoke. Colorado had more than average snowfall last winter, but the summer has been very dry. As I write this, a forest fire burns a mere 35 miles from our location on Storm Mountain. This photo shows smoke in the sky, as viewed from our
Forest Fire in My Backyard!!! (And Rattlesnakes Too!) Read More »
Last week, I blogged about a gal who had a serious horse wreck. She remembers nothing about what happened. Just as I was completing that blog, I received a Nextdoor neighborhood alert that one of my neighbors had lost her horse at a local trailhead. Both scenarios exemplified for me why having medical information on your
Are Microchips the Answer? Read More »
Vesicular Stomatitis, or VS, is a viral disease that primarily affects horses and cattle. It may occasionally affect other hooved animals, such as pigs, goats, sheep, llamas, and alpacas. Rarely, humans handling affected animals can experience flu-like symptoms. Although rarely fatal, VS can have a personal and economic impact on livestock owners. I decided to
Vesicular Stomatitis Outbreak! Read More »
One of the first blog posts I wrote over 2 years ago was about NetPosse.com. This organization is dedicated to recovering lost or stolen animals. I am on their mailing list, and just yesterday I received an email from them. There is a missing horse in Idaho. The information provided is as follows: Near Almo,
NetPosse Alert… Have You Seen This Horse? Read More »
I guess Alan and I were just having too much fun. Not that moving is fun… but we’ve had a pretty good run of good times since we met. This past week or two brought our relatively idyllic life to a screeching halt! Still, we had each other to lean on, and mostly it involved stuff, so
The Week From Hell Read More »
Geronimo was a revered and respected chief and medicine man in the Apache tribe. He was born in 1829 and died in 1909. Did you know that he died as a result of falling off his horse? How many of us who ride horses have watched movies about the relationship the Indians had with their
How Did Geronimo Die? Read More »
Once again, fires are causing mass destruction in California. Those of us not affected by these raging infernos are not aware of all of the ramifications of this disaster. An article in the Wall Street Journal really opened my eyes to the impact these fires have on Californians. I had heard about the blackouts imposed
The Hero Horse in California Read More »
In my previous two blogs, I discussed some of the logistics associated with evacuating large animals in the face of a natural disaster. Part One discusses having current vaccination and identification information on all of your horses. Additionally, it discusses the need for a working trailer and an effective method of communicating with neighbors and
Emergency Evacuations with Small Animals Read More »
Thankfully, Hurricane Dorian created less havoc on the east coast than residents feared. Sadly, the people and animals in the Bahamas did not fare as well. As I write this, 50 people are reported dead with the death toll expected to climb. In this incredibly sad story, Grand Bahama Humane Society workers describe their heartbreak
Disaster Emergency Preparedness Part Two Read More »
Last week, Floridians purchased a record number of ID MyHorse Emergency Identification Tags. Additionally, residents of the Carolinas in the potential path of Hurricane Dorian ordered tags for their horses. The viral videos of Hurricane Harvey, showing stranded and stressed horses, were fresh on everyone’s mind. Recently, my Memories Facebook feed offered up this rescue
Disaster Emergency Preparedness Read More »
This is not a post I intended to write. It is a post that will likely generate some criticism and negative comments, but it is absolutely not my intent to offend anyone or “take advantage” of a horrible situation. This is a post about the horrific events occurring in California and my heartache over the
The Crisis in California Read More »
