APRIL 2019 THE RIDER /21 Fork’s Recovery From Fire Story by: Equine Guelph


Guelph, ON - March 14, 2019 - “You never think it would happen to you, and one of your horses, until one day you wake up to a phone call in the middle of the night,” recounts Sarah Scott, member of the horse racing community for over 20 years, and owner of Fork. Since the first line fire


in December, Sarah has not only been busy with her horse’s recovery but also spreading awareness of fire


filling the night with Christ- mas cheer. I arrived home, around 12:30 am and settled into bed shortly after 1 am. I was awoken by my hus- band to the words “the barn is on fire and there is noth- ing we can do.” I was in- stantly numb. I felt almost robotic as I grabbed some clothes, and drove to what was our horses’ home, now land marked by police cars directing fire trucks. The car did not even come to a com- plete stop before I jumped out.


evaluated and treated by the attending veterinarians be- fore they were given the “ok” to go to Mohawk. When the horses arrived at Mohawk (for temporary sta- bling) they were all bathed and once again looked over for burns or distress. Black soot was embedded in the horses’ hair, leading to the conclusion the lungs must also be compromised. Fears of smoke inhalation damage were confirmed with the first scope. The owners were worried if their horses would be ok, racked with questions if they were suf- fering and if they would ever race again. It was a quick paced day with lots of decisions. Sarah’s


expertise


served her well, having worked with clients, vets and owners whose horses were affected by the en- croaching wild fires in BC and Alberta, supplying them with nebulizers from Sys- tem Equine that were do- nated by Nortev Flexineb and assisting the equine practitioners in developing treatment cycles. Never had she imagined she would be implementing a similar treatment plan for her own horse who had won his race just a few short weeks be- fore.


The team worked dili-


Since the first line fire in December, Sarah has not only been busy with her horse’s recovery but also spreading awareness of fire prevention programs.


prevention programs. Sarah works as an ac-


count manager specializing in equine rehabilitation, at System Equine in Rock- wood and they will be host- ing a Barn Fire Prevention and action plan evening on March 19 at 6 pm. Special guest speakers will include: TJ Snow of Milton Fire De- partment, Riley McGil- loway of Halton Hills Fire Department, and Dr. Liz Shiland DVM (one of sev- eral vets who assisted at the First Line fire). Sarah will also be sharing her experi- ence as a horse owner. They will discuss:


barn fire prevention, what to do in case of fire with horses and/or animals, fire safety and caring for horses after they have been exposed to smoke inhalation and fire trauma. Barn owners need to


be ever vigilant with barn fire prevention, never get complacent and always pre- pare themselves for emer- gencies. Equine Guelph will be offering a new Fire & Emergency Preparedness online short course on The- HorsePortal.ca– Apr 8 – Apr 15


Sarah’s Story: We celebrated our


staff Christmas party at Mo- hawk raceway December 20th, having a great time


When I arrived no one


knew where my own horse was, but we knew he was out. It was dark, raining and the most unsettling of sights, with red and blue flashing lights intermingling with the mist. I was told it took two firefighters and one of the second trainers to move my horse Fork from his stall, with singed facial and mane hair from the in- ferno he escaped and was taken to another barn on the property and placed in an empty stall.


Emergency response: Sarah quickly


joined the growing team of fire fighters, owners and veterinari- ans triaging the scene. They were fortunate to have a number of con- tainment areas with other barns close by, a pool area that held three horses, and pad- docks to hold the horses after they were removed from barn seven. Other factors that aided the rescue were: rain, wind blow- ing away from the barn and educated/experi- enced horse people, on scene that did not pull open the doors until fire and rescue arrived. Each horse was


gently with the vets follow- ing up on the temperatures, discharge, vitals and overall observation. Sarah is very grateful to everyone in- volved with the rescue and rehabilitation, including her employers at System Equine and Nortev for supplying the nebulizers aiding in the recovery of many of the horses. Sarah’s prayers have been answered as subsequent testing and scoping showed no signs of soot and no residual inflammation in the lungs. Sarah is also very grateful to her husband Mark who was so support- ive, working tirelessly car- ing for both of them. “He truly is the reason Fork has


returned to the racetrack,” says Sarah. Fork is in the clear and qualified to race at Mohawk on January 24 2019.


Final thoughts: Sarah will forever be


a fire prevention crusader and advocate of having a plan. No matter how busy life gets, she will never turn her phone off at night. Much reflection takes place after an incident, from the simple things like having emer- gency numbers in your phone to having the fire de- partment out to do a pre- plan. Having halters, leads, pens and paper quickly accessi- ble, clear barn aisles, feed tubs positioned so they are not in the way of exiting a stall are some of the little details that can make a big difference in an emergency. And of course, look-


ing back on the chaos, there is much gratitude for the community who rallied to- gether. Thanks, and huge ac- knowledgements must be given to the first responders, the community who all sprung from their beds in the dead of the night and for everyone who came to- gether to support the rescue. Sarah hopes sharing


her story will move people to take preventative meas- ures and looks forward to seeing large attendance both at the Fire & Emergency Preparedness online short course


on


TheHorsePortal.ca– Apr 8 – Apr 15 and at System Equine’s Barn Fire Preven- tion and action plan evening on March 19 at 6pm, also available by live feed at: https://imp.easywebinar.live /registration-2


Photos: Sarah and Fork, Photo Credit: Carey Lecain


Web Link(s): www.equineguelph.ca/news /index.php?content=608


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Find out more on our Facebook page - www.facebook.com/groups/2744211299/ or email bigcreeksc@gmail.com


Dates: May 12th, June 9th, July 14th, August 11th, September 8th Rain Dates: June 23rd, August 18th Where: Paris Fairgrounds


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