In the days leading up to Hurricane Frances’ landfall in Florida, it became apparent that if Marion County were to sustain significant damage from the storm, there was no plan to address ensuing problems relative to the equine population. On Sept. 4, a pre-storm meeting was held at the Ocala Breeders Sales pavilion for area equine veterinarians and representatives of the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine and the Marion County Sheriff’s Department. The purpose of the meeting was: A) to coordinate equine veterinary efforts in Marion County in the event of a significant hurricane aftermath; B) to consolidate information gathering for federal, state, and local assistance based on collective assessment of need; and C) to pre-arrange post-hurricane meetings in the event that cellular communications were damaged.

At the conclusion of the meeting, several areas of concern had been addressed. First, three facilities were designated as centers for the purpose of housing, identifying, and caring for horses found loose due to fence damage. These were Ocala Breeders Sales Company, the Southeast Livestock Pavilion, and the HITS (Horse Shows In The Sun) Showgrounds. The managements of these facilities generously agreed to open their doors to unclaimed horses and/or horses without access to water. Two local van companies, H.H. Hudson and Sallee, agreed to participate in the effort by transporting these horses to the holding facilities at no cost.

Many area equine veterinarians committed themselves to being available to treat storm-related injuries at no cost.

The plan was that each unclaimed horse would be transported initially to Live Oak Animal Clinic and digitally photographed. The digital images would be put on the Internet to facilitate identification. Then the horses would be taken to one of the three facilities previously mentioned to be cared for until positive identification was made and owners located