As horse owners settle in for winter along the Gulf Coast, the damage done by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita is making it almost impossible to find hay.
Salt water flooded fields and pasture during the hurricanes, and now those fields lie barren. Horse owners already face devastating losses and many don\’t have the financial means to buy hay and have it transported as well as feed, vaccines and other necessary supplies.
Horse owners in Vermillion Parish, La., have 800 horses to feed through the winter according to a report from TheHorse.com. The county agent, Andrew Granger, estimated that 6,400 square bales would get them through the winter, since it will be mid-March before the grass starts to grow back.
Mississippi horses, especially those in Hancock and Pearl River counties, are also suffering from lack of quality feed and forage. Transport costs are high, so Carla L. Huston, DVM, PhD at Mississippi State University asked that people donate transportation as well as feed.
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To help the horses and humans in need contact Vermillion Parish (Andrew Granger) at (337) 898-4335. Donations can also be made to the Louisiana Veterinary Medical Association Equine Committee. Make checks payable to LVMA Equine Committee, write “Horse Hurricane Relief” in the memo line, and send the donation to Dr. Sonny Corley, LVMA Equine Committee, 121 E. Gloria Switch, Lafayette LA 70507.
To help those in Mississippi contact Mike Mitchell of the Pearl View Board of Supervisors at (601) 795-8038. To donate hay and feed contact Larry Fitzgerald of MSU at (601) 337-1313.
For further contacts at MSU, contact Gwen Smith of the extension service (gsmith@ext.msstate.edu or (228) 216-3444.
While those in need appreciate receiving hay and feed, they often have no way to transport it, so coordinating the transportation must be included when considering a donation.