The leaders of the U.S. Equestrian Federation have begun two more programs to assist horses and their owners who\’ve been ravaged or displaced by Hurricane Katrina.
On Thursday, Sept. 8, they started collecting equine and human goods at their headquarters in the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Ky. These goods will be trucked to hurricane victims in Louisiana and Mississippi.
The items needed for horses include feed, grain, bedding (shavings and wood chips), Butazolidin, Banamine, Gentocin, tranquilizers, and first aid supplies such as standing bandages, hydrogen peroxide, Vetwrap, cotton sheeting, and antibiotic cream. They also need lead ropes, halters, stall guards, hay bags, buckets, hoses, double-sided snaps, duct tape, fly spray and bottles, pitchforks, muck buckets and grooming supplies. Hay and grain can be purchased from Dever\’s at the Kentucky Horse Park and loaded directly on to the truck.
Donated items for other pets, such as dog food, cat food and cat litter, will also be accepted.
Items requested for horsemen include helmets, boots, body protectors, exercise saddles, bridles, saddle pads and girths, so they can get back to making a living. In addition, toiletries, baby items non-perishable food items, household supplies, bathroom supplies and cleaning supplies are needed. They have also requested linens, clothing, folding chairs and cooking supplies.
Donations may be dropped off at the Kentucky Horse Park, on Iron Works Parkway, between 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m., until two tractor-trailers are filled. Lexington Cartage (owned by the Young family of Overbrook Farm in Lexington), C.H. Robinson and J.P. Services have donated the use of their trucks, drivers and fuel to transport the items to Louisiana and Mississippi.
ADVERTISEMENT
USEF officials also opened up a telephone helpline on Sept. 8. The dedicated phone line will take emergency calls from Mississippians in need of emergency assistance for their horses.
The hotline number is 859-225-2051, and it will be operational daily from 8:00 a.m. until 6:30 p.m., until the need has subsided.
This hotline will be for emergency calls regarding needs for horses only. Operators will not be able to answer inquiries about volunteer or donation opportunities. Information gathered from the calls will be forwarded to various rescue and assistance organizations now in place in Mississippi. For equine-related emergencies in the Louisiana area, contact the LSU Vet School Hotline at 225-578-9501.
Anyone wishing to donate supplies at other locations can go to the Multi-Purpose Facility at 952 Sullivan Drive, Barn E, Hattiesburg, Miss. (863- 697-0410). This facility is just off Highway 49 on the south side of Hattiesburg. Donations of supplies can be dropped there if they\’re in tractor-trailers and in large boxes or on pallets.
Smaller loads in horse trailers or smaller trucks should go to:
Jackson County Animal Shelter, 4400 Audubon Road, Gautier, Miss.
(228- 497-6350). The shelter is near Gulfport.
To make a financial donation, you can go to www.usef.org and click on the Hurricane Katrina link on the right side of the homepage.
