Page 16 - Demo

emergencieS aren’T JuST abouT “WhaT To Do,”They’re abouT “When io STarT Doing”One of the hardest parts of responding to an emergency isn’tjust knowing what to do - it’s knowing when to start doing it.Do you wait and see? Do you call the vet now, or monitorovernight? Do you take a temperature, or chalk it up to weirdbehavior?These are judgment calls. And they’re easier to make whenyou’ve built a strong baseline of understanding - when you’veseen what normal looks like for your horse and can recognizewhen something is even slightly off.Knowing when to act can change the outcome entirely. It’snot about being dramatic - it’s about being informed and confident in your next move.PracTical STePS you can STarT righT noWEven if you’ve never taken a class or read a manual, you canstart practicing early recognition today. It doesn’t take expensiveequipment or advanced training - just consistent attention andcuriosity.Try this:1. Create a “normal” record: Write down your horse’s resting TPR(temperature, pulse, respiration), gum color and digital pulse. Keepit somewhere visible - barn wall, tack room or trailer.2. Slow down your daily checks: Don’t just glance. Watch. Letyour horse “tell” you how they’re feeling with posture, breathand focus. You’ll start noticing what’s typical - and what’s not.3. Check once a week for micro-changes: Touch their legs.Feel for heat. Look at the shape of their body. Is anything tighter,softer, more prominent or more swollen?4. Keep a simple log: Jot down anything odd: a strange pooppile, a missed meal, a subtle shift in expression. It might notseem like much today, but in hindsight, it can be gold.aWareneSS iS a Skill — anD iT’S one you can builDYou don’t need to be a vet, a medic or an expert to notice earlysigns. What you do need is the willingness to observe, to careand to trust what you notice - even if you can’t yet explain whyit feels off.And like any other skill, awareness sharpens with practice.The more often you pause to really notice your horse - not justfeed and ride - the better prepared you’ll be when somethingshifts.Horses rarely lie. But they often whisper.The more you listen, the more you’ll hear. oShelly Allen is the founder of HorseEmergencySkills.com and theinstructor behind Emergency Ready™, an educational program thathelps horse owners respond with confidence during equine health emergencies. She teaches in-person, hands-on workshops from her propertyin Vernon, Arizona.16 Arizona Horse Connection February, 2026eQuine laW:conTracTS & DiSPuTeS• liability Waivers• boarding contracts• Purchase and Sale agreements• Training contracts• Partnerships and Syndications• breeding contracts• uSeF and breed registry mattersDiSPuTe reSoluTion& ciVil liTigaTiongoVernmenT relaTionS& regulaTory comPliance• Zoning and land use issues• agricultural Property Tax exemptions• Well Permits and Water rights issuesreal eSTaTe & commercial TranSacTionS• acquisition and Dispositions• leasing• entity Formation• Financing and Seller carry backs7144 e. Stetson Dr., Suite 300 • Scottsdale, aZDirect: 480.240.5647 • cell: 602.402.3335aTrenk@roselawgroup.com • www.roselawgroup.comadam m. Trenk, esq.licensed in aZ, ok, ky“Arizona’s Most Robust Equine Law Practice”