Equine Pack: First Aid & Disaster Planning | Custom Dates
Certified Safe Facility Initiative:
Taking this 3 Day Course enables an Equestrian Facility to be eligible for participation in the Certified Safe Facility Initiative. Our primary focus is on the health and safety of horses. In 2018, Equi-Health Canada/Equi-First Aid USA introduced its "Certified Safe" initiative. Under this program, barn, ranch, and stable owners can engage an instructor like myself to provide training in first aid, advanced first aid, and disaster planning for their staff, volunteers, family, or boarders. This ensures a well-prepared team and establishes a certified safe facility for anyone visiting or residing on the premises.
What we need from you: Course and Dates you want to take as a package. Drop Down box below with notes.
If you do not see any listings near you, please recommend a place using this form!
Instructor and Contact: April Ibarra (425) 445-3092
Where: To uphold the safety and privacy of our host barns, their horses, and patrons, only general towns and states are provided below in the "Future Course Dates" section. Specific addresses will be shared with each participant upon registration. Additionally, feel free to contact the instructor directly for more detailed information.
Time: Check-in begins at 8:30 am; class begins at 9:00 am and we start wrapping things up at 4:30 to finish at 5:00 pm.
What to bring: Sack lunch, water bottle, notepad, blanket (depends on weather), and signed release form for the barn as well as for the instructor. Click here for HoPE Equine Release Form
Cost: The EFA and EHC First Aid courses are priced at $169.00 each, unless stated otherwise. This series total is $480.00 if taken as a 3-Day course. Occasionally, a Host Barn or Equestrian Facility may impose its facility fee to cover the expenses associated with hosting a course or providing a catered meal. Any additional costs will be clearly outlined below. As a courtesy to the Host Barn and for the convenience of the Class Participant in payment, the instructor will typically collect both the registration and host fees. It's important to note that the Instructor does not receive any commissions from the Host Barn.
Registration Deadline: While registration remains open until the class reaches its full capacity, if you register within less than 10 business days of the class, you may need to have your manual and certification mailed to you, with shipping fees applicable. Registering earlier than 10 business days from the class date ensures that the manual and certification will be available on the course date.
*Day 1: Equine Health and Emergency First Aid (Level 1)
This class is intended to help people know what to do immediately following an emergency that happens either close to home, or at home; the intention is to help you feel comfortable with handling the situation. We cover preventative measures, pain source identification, stretching, how to properly take vitals and identifying what is normal vs. abnormal, basic wound care (bandaging), identifying when to call the vet and knowing what information to gather before that call, eye injuries, bites & stings, seizure, how to right a cast horse, shock, poison, burns, lameness/hoof issues, nosebleed, choke, collapse, heat exhaustion, shock and identifying signs of colic. We also provide a 50+ page handbook to put in your first aid kits for reference.
*Day 2: Advanced Health and Emergency First Aid Techniques (Level 2)
This class is intended to cover more serious injuries as well as prepare a person when they are not close to home/veterinary care, or in remote areas, where it is difficult to receive veterinary care. The Remote/ Wilderness version will be a favorite among the Back-Country Horsemen and Women, trail riders, and campers. We cover how to PLAN for a trip including destination factors, assessing if a horse is conditioned for use and how to get him/her in condition, assessing the risk factors (weather, trail conditions, wildlife, toxic fauna), and what information to have in case of emergency. The Local/Competitive Edition is catered to those who ride in the arena environment, or competitively, who may be traveling to shows, competitions, etc. and are NOT far from vet care, but perhaps far from their normal vet, or home. We cover common injuries seen in stalled horses and around the arena environment. We provide biosecurity information including diseases, symptom identification, what protocols exist, transmission, prevention and reporting requirements, as well as field triage of acute neurological disease/issues. In both versions we also cover PREPARATION: understanding a horse and working safely around it, what to pack for the horse/human, what to keep in your trailer, different types of communication; planning food and water, how to prepare if you live remotely. And finally REACTING: how to work with a panicked horse, assessing severity and treating bleeding, gut, chest wounds, foreign bodies, burns/bites/stings, broken bones/fractures, colic/compaction, trapped horses, extreme weather, predator attacks, what to do if you get lost, or if your equipment fails, administering meds, and finally euthanasia. This course also comes with a 50+ page handbook to put in your first aid kits for reference.
*Day3: Disaster Planning and Emergency Preparedness
Essential for any livestock owner, this course provides training in fire prevention, the development and implementation of safe evacuation procedures, identification of hidden dangers, and response to first aid emergencies. It also addresses preparedness for natural disasters such as flooding, wildfires, ice storms, hurricanes, tornadoes, and more.
Throughout the course, you will become acquainted with various methods of identification for your horses, cattle, and other farm animals in the event of separation during a disaster. You'll gain insights into the crucial information to include on your personalized evacuation map for your property and town, uncover hidden dangers within your barn and on your property, understand the causes of fires, and learn preventive measures. The course also guides you on how to inspect your own barn and provides insights into what to expect if caught in a fire.
*All attendees receive a Certificate of Completion and a First Aid manual to keep in your first-aid kit.
**There will be an opportunity to purchase First Aid kits and supplemental Equine
Essential Oil kits in class.
***Tuition is non-refundable. Your registration is valid for one year toward the same course taught by the same instructor, and may be transferred or gifted to a friend or family member of the original purchaser. In the event the host or instructor needs to cancel, every effort to offer an alternate date will be made, or a refund will be offered.
Future Course Dates: (Don’t see a course you can attend/in your area? Contact me. I can travel to your neck of the woods provided there is a Host Location where I can teach the course.)
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