Horses For Clean Water

Happy 4th of July to all our friends here in the US!

📸 Terri Cage (Adobe)

https://stablemanagement.com/articles/desensitizing-horses-to-fireworks/

Desensitizing Horses to Fireworks While your horse might never have to work the crowds on the Fourth of July, there are tips here to keep your horses safe during nearby celebrations.

Save 20% on Custom Consultations with Our Summer Solstice Sale!

Each horse property has its own unique challenges and opportunities. Whether you’re starting from scratch on a new property or improving an existing facility, work one-on-one with Alayne to discuss your goals and develop a plan designed to set you up for success. Get personalized advice on arenas and exercise areas, eco-friendly horse keeping, least-toxic pest control, manure management and composting, mud management, native landscaping, pasture management, water conservation, and firewise preparedness, and more!

Consultationsons can be done either in person or using Zoom and Google Earth, so no matter where you are in the world, you can tap into Alayne's 30+ years of experience helping horse owners solve their toughest problems. Book your consultation today to create a horse property that is beautiful and sustainable.

https://horsesforcleanwater.com/shop/consultations/custom-consultation/

Wildfire is a very real concern for horse owners, especially when extreme temperatures, limited summer rainfall, strong winds, and lightning storms all lead to high fire danger. Windblown embers from a nearby fire can travel a mile or more, landing on and igniting buildings or other combustibles and putting you and your horses at risk. Join us for this FREE class to learn how to identify and reduce wildfire threats on your horse property, farm, or ranch. Register today at https://horsesforcleanwater.com/event/reducing-wildfire-risk-on-horse-properties/

Most of the western United States is what’s called a “fire adaptive ecosystem.” That means it’s not a matter of 𝑖𝑓 a major fire is going to happen to the landscape, it’s 𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑛. Most of us horse owners live in rural areas so it’s often up to us to figure out how to prepare for wildfire emergencies. An essential component of that preparation is creating an evacuation plan before wildfire threatens your home and animals.

Every situation differs according to the size and nature of the horse enterprise; there is no “one size fits all” approach. However, there are some general rules of thumb that can help you organize a firewise evacuation plan that’s suited to your unique circumstances. Check out the list on our website at https://horsesforcleanwater.com/preparing-a-firewise-emergency-evacuation-plan-for-horse-owners/.

📸 jsnewtonian (stock.adobe.com)

This year, our summer plans were tempered by a sobering possibility: the proposed Budget Reconciliation Bill (the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act”) included the sale of up to 3 million acres of USFS and BLM land. The Sierra Club put together a map showing the 250 million acres potentially on the chopping block, including many of the areas where Matt and I ride—and where I suspect many of you ride as well!

Thankfully, this language has been struck from the bill—for now. Those involved in the process advise us that legislators are still looking for ways to rework the issue and get federal lands back up for sale. They are trying to do so by next week to get the bill passed by July 4!

Since we are the 𝑝𝑢𝑏𝑙𝑖𝑐 in 𝑝𝑢𝑏𝑙𝑖𝑐 𝑙𝑎𝑛𝑑𝑠, we must remain vigilant in our efforts to persuade our legislators to protect this incredible natural resource of ours. After all, these lands are a big part of what makes America great! Please consider contacting your representatives to let them know you oppose the sale of federal lands. At this late stage in the process, phone calls will be more effective than emails. Keep it brief, but make sure they know that you live in their jurisdiction and express how a land dispersal would negatively impact your loved ones and community.

Sierra Club Map: https://wilderness.maps.arcgis.com/apps/instant/basic/index.html?appid=821970f0212d46d7aa854718aac42310