Rita watch - my sister couldn't get out and is stuck

[elfin]

north of Houston with about 20 horses. Didn't have another truck and driver so would have had to make two trips - plus just had gas for that one - plus roads clogged up very early.

So the horses (theirs and others for their stable business) are out in pasture away from the barn.

At 8:19AM Central time the winds are 40-50 mph, electricity and phones still on and horses fine.

Until her call, I had assumed they were safely out. Now am worried - the worst is supposed to be in a couple of hours, but it moved a bit out of the zone worst for them.

[wellstone dem]

1. I hope she is coming through all right

Keep us updated.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

2. Yes, please keep us posted

Hope all come out of this ok.

[Mairead]

3. I hope they come through okay

Is there any way she could gather them into a remuda and ride them out, possibly cross-country if necessary? I don't know how fast horses can travel without exhausting themselves, but I have to think it would be at least 10mph, which would get them 20-40 miles further on before the worst comes.

[elfin]

5. Don't know what a remuda is (ramada?)

there are just her husband and her and one worker and one neighbor. At least I think the worker and neighbor (very close) are still there.

The horses are in pasture with some trees for some protection and space for them to move away from falling trees if that starts happening. They figure the barn is more likely to be more dangerous than pasture and horses can be a bit claustrrphobic and "spook" if confined under stress.

She promised to call after the worst came through. Land line still works - cell phone is very spotty. I couldn't get through yesterday even to land line and figured it was down - but probably too busy for service. Now that many people are out, maybe not so many calls jamming into Houston area - but cell phone service busier.

Will let you know as soon as I hear from her. Thanks all for the thoughts.

[neweurope]

7. A remuda is simply a group of horses... at the cattle drives

it was a group of horses driven along so the cowboys could choose a horse to ride the next day.

I wouldn't try to move a herd of 20 in a storm. No sir. I would stay, remove as many obstacles as I can and make the fences very visible. And pray. Seeing as your sister and her husband are professionals they'll know what to do. Good wishes and a prayer or two don't hurt, though.

-----------

Remember Fallujah

Bush to The Hague!

[Mairead]

12. Sorry for the confusion!

I'm not completely sure 'remuda' is the term I wanted, but it's the only one I've ever seen for what I was trying to talk about, which was putting rope halters on the horses (http://www.kbrhorse.net/tra/halter01.html) and tying the halters to a long rope so that all the horses would stay together and could be moved as a group til they are out of danger.

As far as I know, the term is Spanish and comes from the 19th century, when cowboys taking cattle to market would bring many extra horses along so they could switch off whenever their current horse became tired. The horses not being ridden would be kept tied together in a remuda (or whatever the real term is) attached to the supplies wagon.

[elfin]

6. Don't know what a remuda is (ramada?)

there are just her husband and her and one worker and one neighbor. At least I think the worker and neighbor (very close) are still there.

The horses are in pasture with some trees for some protection and space for them to move away from falling trees if that starts happening. They figure the barn is more likely to be more dangerous than pasture and horses can be a bit claustrrphobic and "spook" if confined under stress.

She promised to call after the worst came through. Land line still works - cell phone is very spotty. I couldn't get through yesterday even to land line and figured it was down - but probably too busy for service. Now that many people are out, maybe not so many calls jamming into Houston area - but cell phone service busier.

Will let you know as soon as I hear from her. Thanks all for the thoughts.

[demodonkey]

11. Avg Horse walk @ 2-4 mph. 12-15 mph is a brisk (road) trot if conditioned.

...10 mph probably only possible for shorter periods unless conditioned for the effort. Unlikely that many average pleasure horses could keep 10 mph up for 2-4 hrs. or 20-40 miles.

I always wanted to get my horse ready and do a combined driving event, but the conditioning for the marathon phase is what held me back. Takes months of daily road work to get a horse fit enough to do it. And it is around 20 miles, for a full-length CDE

Back in the days of coaching (i.e. stagecoach) they had coach houses (sometimes every 10-20 miles or less depending on terrain) where they could change to a fresh team. And the horses were VERY fit and conditioned to the task.

[Mairead]

13. That's very interesting!

So they're actually slower than humans even when unburdened? Because humans can walk 2-4mph depending on terrain, so that's why I thought that horses without riders could probably go as fast as someone on an ordinary bike without exhausting themselves and needing to stop.

[neweurope]

15. Oh no, horses CAN be faster than humans. But left alone they

don't choose to do so :) Carrying work or pulling a load they are still faster - if conditioned.
In a storm you have altogether different conditions, though; the horses will be very spooky, might even think that they know better how to handle this - and then 20 horses on halters (which is ca. 20 times 500 kg = 10.000 kilos of muscled, half crazed horses) who probably never in their life have been moved as a remuda will be impossible to hold for two people.

-----------------

Remember Fallujah

Bush to The Hague!

[neweurope]

4. Oh my goodness. I have only two and was just thinking what in

the world I would do with them if we ever had a catastrophe like this over here.... My heart goes out to her. Please keep us informed. I'm sending my very best wishes to her - and, yes, a prayer for the horse's sake.

------------

Remember Fallujah

Bush to The Hague!

[riderinthestorm]

8. I have 40 horses

Microchip them (for identification purposes if the worst happens and the fencing breaks). Put halters (preferably with your name, address and phone number written on them in indelible ink) on so people can catch them if the worst happens. Get them out of the barn and into a secure pasture. Trust in your fencing.

We've been through this a few times with the tornadoes here in Illinois although (knock on wood), we've escaped relatively unscathed in the 20 years we've been at it.

Good luck to your sister. I'll be thinking of her (and all the others) today.

[KittyWampus]

10. Do horses tend to group together in the pasture during wind storms?

[neweurope]

14. My two do - and whatever crazy notion the first one has the other will

do, also. I'll have a story to tell about horses grouping together, if you're interested - afterwards :)

---------------------

Remember Fallujah

Bush to The Hague!

[Ilsa]

9. My brother-in-law and his stepchildren and wife are stuck

in the Kingwood area. They are fine. Electricity is out, but no major problems.

Glad your family has managed to stay safe, even so close to Rita.

[CatBoreal]

16. Hope they all stay safe....

Good thoughts coming their way.

[neweurope]

17. Have you got any news on your sister?

I've been thinking of her.

----------------

Remember Fallujah

Bush to The Hague!