Whereas the needs of horses and local equine facilities have changed somewhat in the two weeks following Hurricane Katrina, the rescue efforts of the Louisiana State University (LSU) team continue on a daily basis. Horses continue to be brought in, although on a much smaller scale. Horses and mules are now being claimed by their owners, and feed and supplies are being distributed as needed to a number of affected areas.

“We’ve got a good handle on things logistically right now,” said Dr. Rustin Moore, director of the Equine Health Studies Program and Equine Clinic at LSU. “The initial rush of calls coming in and teams heading out to help has wound down considerably, but we still have a lot of people out there who need help at their own equine facilities, and we have a good number of horses who are going to require care for an unknown amount of time,” he continued. “We knew going into this that we were in it from start to finish. So we’ll just continue to take it day by day, respond to the needs that still exist and work toward finding the owners of the horses that remain in our possession.”

The Lamar-Dixon Expo Center, the central staging area for horses recently retrieved from the New Orleans area, has taken in more than 350 equids and currently houses about 275 horses and mules yet to be claimed by their owners. The LSU team has successfully reunited many owners and horses and have released 75 or more to their owners, who have taken them to other boarding facilities.

“We’re in pretty good shape right now in terms of supplies,” said Bonnie Clark, President of the Louisiana Equine Council. Having worked in equine rescue during Hurricane Andrew, Clark has been the on-site coordinator of the equine staging area from the beginning. “Right now, its just a matter of staying up to speed with what we have, getting supplies to areas that are still in need, and working with owners to help them accurately identify their horses,” said Clark