By Kathy Smith

Spring is a season of renewal on the horse farm — but it’s also a time when risk rises sharply. Melting snow, saturated ground, drying grass, and volatile weather patterns can quickly turn routine days into emergency situations. Gradual flooding and flash floods, grass and structure fires, severe storms, rapid snow melt, and ice jams that block water flow can threaten horses, people, and infrastructure with little warning. Add in secondary risks such as power outages, water contamination, disease outbreaks, and damaged fencing, and it becomes clear that emergency preparedness isn’t optional — it’s essential.

Risk mitigation starts with understanding what your farm is vulnerable to and taking practical steps before trouble arrives. Preparation means putting systems in place that allow for a fast, effective, and safe response, rather than reacting when something goes wrong. Knowing where your horses can be moved during a flood or fire, keeping accurate animal inventories, maintaining fencing and gates, and ensuring emergency equipment — such as fire extinguishers, generators, and trailers — is ready to use can make all the difference when minutes matter.

Reducing risk is part of the everyday work of spring cleanup and maintenance. Keeping grass trimmed around buildings, clearing culverts to allow water to flow freely, inspecting wiring, and removing dust, cobwebs, and debris from barns all help lower the chance of fire or structural damage. Feed and bedding should be checked for mold or moisture damage, hazardous materials stored correctly, and flammable items kept well away from buildings. Hay, straw, and manure piles deserve particular attention — when stored too close to structures, they can become a serious fire hazard through spontaneous combustion.

Preparedness on a horse farm is about creating space for water to drain, for fire to be slowed, and for horses to move safely out of harm’s way. By combining risk awareness with thoughtful planning and regular maintenance, farm owners can reduce the impact of natural disasters and emergencies, protecting both their horses and the people who care for them when conditions turn unpredictable.

FLOOD READINESS: DON’T WAIT FOR THE WATER

Flooding is a natural and often seasonal hazard that can be hugely disruptive, damage facilities and footing, contaminate water supplies, and create serious risks for both human and animal health. While floodwaters can rise quickly, the bigger challenge is often what follows: interrupted services, unsafe roads, power outages, and the public health concerns that come with standing water and contamination.

Related: Equine Emergencies!

Monitor local updates, review floodplain mapping, and arrange for appropriate insurance for natural disasters well in advance. If flooding threatens, move essentials and vulnerable equipment to higher ground and shut off power to areas at risk. Photo: Dreamstime/KSummers

Most farm flooding is caused by heavy rain and/or rapid snowmelt that accumulates faster than the ground and drainage systems can absorb it. Low-lying paddocks fill, ditches overflow, creeks jump their banks, and what was manageable yesterday becomes a logistics problem today.

The best defence is a plan made on a calm day. By assessing your flood risk and preparing in advance, you can make faster, safer decisions when water starts moving. Risk depends on geography: proximity to creeks, streams, and rivers matters. Topography is also a factor: a shallow basin, poorly graded lanes, or a low corner of pasture can turn into a collection point even if you’re nowhere near a major waterway.

The Language of Flood Alerts

Flood messaging varies by region, but these categories are common and worth understanding:

• High Streamflow Advisory: River levels are rising or likely to rise rapidly. Major flooding is not expected; minor flooding is possible.
• Flood Watch: River levels are rising and may approach or exceed banks. Flooding in adjacent areas may occur.
• Flood Warning: River levels have exceeded the top of the bank or will do so imminently. Flooding will occur in areas near affected rivers.

Horses and Floodwater

In many cases, unconfined animals will try to seek higher ground. Our job is to help them do that safely and to avoid creating new hazards. Your goal is straightforward: Keep horses and other animals high and dry and keep people out of harm’s way.

Related: Climate Change's Impact on Horses and Properties

Horse trailers and other equipment you will need if evacuation becomes necessary should be well-maintained and easily accessible. Photo: Dreamstime/Doninny

Stay connected to local updates. Your municipal emergency coordinator (or local emergency management office) can provide current flood information, forecasts, and road or evacuation details. Don’t rely on guesswork when conditions are changing hour by hour.

Before the Water Rises

Practical preparation makes the difference between controlled movement and last-minute panic.

Start by reviewing floodplain mapping where available and thinking honestly about where water goes on your property. Identify safe areas (high paddocks, well-drained sacrifice areas, higher lanes) and off-site options if you may need to leave. Plan routes with flooding in mind — one “usual way” out may not be usable.

Prepare an emergency contact list well in advance: livestock haulers, neighbours with trailers, staff or friends who can handle horses, and your veterinarian’s emergency contact. During a widespread event, you don’t want to be searching for resources that everyone else is also trying to find. Contact other barns in your area and work together on a disaster plan if possible. Animal equipment should be kept where rescue personnel, neighbours, and friends can find it easily.

Make sure you have appropriate insurance in place for natural disasters to cover your facilities, horses, tack/equipment, and even fencing; having a knowledgeable insurance agent who is familiar with your situation is critical. 

Then protect your essentials. Move vulnerable equipment and materials to higher ground; this includes motors, tractors, tools, and anything that can contaminate water, such as pesticides, fertilizers, and other chemicals. Know exactly where electrical switches and breakers are so you can shut off power to areas at risk before water arrives.

Prepare an animal evacuation kit. Make copies of proof of ownership and animal identification documents or photos and put them in the kit. Vehicles should be well-maintained and full of fuel, and you should keep a supply of emergency cash on hand. Microchipping, such as through the Canadian Horse ID Program administered by Equestrian Canada, offers a permanent method of equine identification and improved recovery and reunification with your horses in cases of loss, theft, or natural disaster.

Finally, stage your supplies where floodwater won’t reach them. Feed, bedding, medications, and basic first-aid items should be stored in areas unlikely to flood. If your usual feed room is low, make a secondary “high-ground cache” so you’re not hauling bales through water later. Consider how you’ll move clean water as well — if your troughs or waterlines are compromised, you’ll need alternative options.

Power failures are common in flood events, so check backup systems ahead of time. Make sure generators are working and that you have safely stored fuel. Test sump pumps regularly and consider a backup power source (battery backup or generator), especially for barns with basements, low mechanical rooms, or critical drainage points.

When Flooding Starts

Every flood is different. Your best move will depend on river and stream levels, snow load, ground saturation, and the forecast. What doesn’t change is the need to stay informed. Watch for official updates via online channels, radio, television, and emergency notifications — and follow evacuation orders. Human safety comes first, every time.

Related: Horse Owners' Guide to Natural Disaster Preparedness

Respond early and safely. If an evacuation order is issued and time permits, move horses early. Waiting until water is on the lane can trap you and your horses behind impassable roads.

If you have time and the situation is safe enough to act, consider these steps:

• Arrange trucks, trailers, drivers, and handlers as soon as relocation looks likely.
• Use your pre-planned route to move horses to high ground, either on-farm or to a prearranged off-site location.
• Shut off electricity to barns and outbuildings in threatened areas to reduce risk of electrocution or fire.
• Ensure relocated horses have access to feed, clean water, and adequate space.

If you cannot move horses to a predetermined safe area, you may need to make rapid, pragmatic choices to reduce harm. In some circumstances, opening gates (or, as a last resort, cutting fences) can give horses the ability to reach higher ground on their own. If animals are set free, notify local authorities immediately so responders and neighbours understand what’s happening and can avoid traffic or public safety hazards.

As you manage movement, think about flow and bottlenecks. Block off narrow passageways or dead-end alleys where horses could pile up and become trapped. During emergencies, even calm horses can push, panic, and injure each other or the people trying to help.

Flooding is messy, stressful, and often unpredictable. But a clear plan built around high ground, safe routes, staged supplies, and early decision-making can keep a hard situation from becoming a tragedy.

FIRE SAFETY: BEFORE AND DURING AN EMERGENCY

Fires can change the course of a farm day in minutes. Whether it starts as a small, contained flare-up or arrives as a fast-moving wildfire, flame and smoke can sweep across fields and buildings with frightening speed — putting livestock in barns, pens, and pastures at immediate risk and endangering anyone in its path, along with the homes, barns, and other structures it encounters.

Photo: Dreamstime/VSemeniuk

Structure Fires

Barns, sheds, and farm shops are often built and outfitted with exactly what a fire needs to grow: dry wood, hay, straw, bedding, dust, and machinery. Ignition can be caused by something as simple as engine heat, exposed wiring, a lightning strike, or a tool that throws a spark. Even stored forage can become a problem — bales put up too damp can heat internally, creating conditions that lead to mold, dry matter loss, and, in worst cases, combustion.

Lightning remains one of nature’s most powerful and unpredictable forces. Lightning strikes carry a massive electrical charge, generate extreme heat, and can easily ignite fires if they hit a building. Installing an approved lightning protection system — complete with certified lightning rods and grounding cables — helps safely direct electrical energy into the ground and prevent property damage. Systems should be installed according to regulations, inspected regularly, and repaired promptly by licensed professionals, especially after building modifications or reroofing.

Related: Smoke Pollution: A Growing Threat to Equine Respiratory Health

Understanding Lightning Protection Systems

Lightning bolts are hotter than the temperature of the sun. If they strike a building, a large fire can ignite. Fortunately, this type of electrical energy can be effectively harnessed with a lightning protection system including lightning rods and grounding cables to prevent property damage (see Diagram of Lightning Protection System below). Photo: iStock/Marci1950

Diagram of Lightning Protection System

Photo: AdobeStock/StevertS. Diagram ©HorseCommunityJournalsIncS

Most structure fires are preventable, and prevention doesn’t have to be complicated — it’s usually the steady, everyday habits that make the difference.

Start with the basics. Make sure barn wiring and electrical updates are done by qualified professionals. Strictly enforce a No Smoking policy in and around all farm buildings. Store fuels, oils, propane, paints, and torches in a separate, safe location — not tucked into a corner of the barn. And take a hard look at heat sources; the fewer appliances and tools plugged in around hay, dust, and bedding, the lower the risk.

Fire extinguishers deserve more than a token spot by the main door. The best fire extinguisher for a barn is a 10-pound multipurpose ABC dry chemical extinguisher, which is effective on wood/hay (Class A), flammable liquids (Class B), and electrical fires (Class C). These should be mounted near all exit doors, in workshops, and within 50 feet of any point in the barn. Place them where they’re easy to reach and make sure everyone on the farm knows where they are and how to use them. In many barn fires, there’s simply no time to hunt.

Ensure firefighters have clear, wide, unobstructed access to all areas of your property to avoid costly delays. This includes access to water supplies that might be needed, including wells, cisterns, ponds, and streams. Wells and pumps used for farm water supply should be maintained.

A structure can be fully involved in under six minutes. In that moment, instincts push us toward the animals — but barns become deadly quickly, and smoke is often what kills. Even animals that survive severe smoke exposure may face a difficult recovery.

The hardest rule is also the most important: Never put human life at risk to save an animal.

It’s also worth knowing that panicked animals often won’t run out of a barn on their own. Horses may try to bolt back toward familiar shelter.

Handling Horses Under Pressure

If you must move horses in a fire emergency, keep it simple and controlled. For years, it was thought that blindfolding horses could make them easier to handle in high-stress situations, such as evacuation from a burning barn. However, a recent study¹ has revealed that blindfolding actually makes handling more difficult, which increases resistance and leading time, and as such blindfolding is no longer recommended in time-sensitive situations.

Related: A Study on Blindfolding in Horse Handling

When handling horses in high-stress situations, keep procedures simple and consistent. Consider inviting your local fire department to your facility for hands-on training and to share their expertise in strengthening your emergency preparedness plan. Use these opportunities and regular fire drills to familiarize horses with evacuation procedures and help them become comfortable around firefighters in full protective gear. Photo: Alamy/ZUMA

If a Structure is Burning

If it’s safe and practical, shut off power to the affected building. If the roof is on fire, do not go in — the roof may collapse, and conditions can change without warning. For animals with severe burns or critical injuries, humane euthanasia may be necessary as soon as possible, following provincial guidelines.

Wildfire: Plan Early, Move Early

Lightning-caused fires are common in Canada, responsible for around half of all wildfires nationwide. Fires caused by lightning often occur in remote, forested areas and may start in clusters during thunderstorms, making them responsible for larger fires and accounting for 80-90 percent of total burned area.

Wildfires move with weather, terrain, and fuel — and farms near grasslands or forest edges are especially vulnerable. Being prepared means decisions must be made before the smoke shows up.

Know where you could take animals on short notice and keep that contact information easy to grab. Map your evacuation routes and identify more than one option if possible. Review your area’s wildfire history and keep equipment maintained that could help slow an approaching grass fire — whether that’s a tractor and implement for creating a firebreak or a water unit for spot suppression where it’s safe to do so.

Around buildings, reduce fuel. Thinning vegetation and clearing woody debris within roughly 10 to 30 metres of key structures can make a meaningful difference. Store hay, straw, and bedding outside the barn when feasible, in a dry covered area, keeping the biggest fuel source away from the places where animals shelter. Irrigation or sprinkler systems may also be worth considering as part of a broader fire plan.

Keeping an up-to-date detailed livestock inventory, emergency contact list, and microchipping your horses for future identification can save precious time when stress is high. 

Pack a practical evacuation kit: enough feed and water to get through the first week, halters and leads, buckets, basic tools, copies of health records, and proof of ownership.

In the Lead-Up and During a Wildfire

As conditions worsen, prioritize people first. Move staff and visitors to a prearranged safe meeting location if needed and notify fire authorities immediately. Act quickly if you’re facing a small, contained flare-up and it can be addressed safely, but don’t let a minor blaze escalate into a life-threatening situation. 

With wildfire, the safest decision is often the earliest one.

Related: Emergency Preparedness for Horses

Related: Protecting Your Equine Property from Environmental Disasters

More by Kathy Smith

We gratefully acknowledge the expertise and resources provided by the Horse Welfare Alliance of Canada, Equine Guelph, FarmFireSmart, and the American Veterinary Medical Association in the preparation of this article. 

¹ Compliance or confusion? The usefulness of blindfolding horses as a handling technique - ScienceDirect