Texas Equine Veterinary Association

Page 16 | The Remuda | SPRING 2024 EDITION "The key was to take the burden off of the owner who was already suffering a huge loss of many other things. We understand the importance of these horses to these families. On the heels of losing everything, being able to save this one horse, for this family, was everything. — Dr. Leslie Easterwood Left: Peaches is fully sound now, with only a few scars to show for his serious injuries from the storm. Photo credit Abbigail Boatwright They contacted both the Texas Equine Foundation—the non- profit arm of TEVA—and the AAEP Foundation For the Horse, the charitable arm of the American Association of Equine Practictioners (AAEP). Dr. Leslie Easterwood, TEVA President, happened to be at the 6666s a few days after the storm, and walked past Peaches, who was being treated for injuries. When staff explained what happened, she knew the right course of action. "At that point, we said 'We're all in' and TEF and the Foundation for the Horse wanted to take over the cost of the bill of that horse," Dr. Easterwood said. "A day or so later, when the other horse [Feather] came in, we also committed to taking care of that one as well." Founded in 2017, just before Hurricane Harvey ravaged the Texas coast, the TEF exists in part to to make a difference in the lives of horses, particularly with disaster response, and the organization often cooperatively works with the AAEP Foundation for the Horse on these efforts. Keith Kleine, director of industry relations for the AAEP and The Foundation for the Horse says the non-profit has worked with TEVA for decades on disaster relief. Kleine joined the AAEP and Foundation for the Horse in 2005, and says Hurricane Katrina was the first disaster that occurred that really raised the level of awareness and giving to The Foundation in regards to natural disaster response. As a group directed by equine veterinarians, The Foundation has become one of the most trusted disaster assistance organizations in the country for equines. "We have worked with them on a variety of efforts, mostly around disaster preparedness and response,"Kleine said. "We've built a good relationship with TEVA and its members, and also with Texas A&M, who has a great response program as well." The Foundation of the Horse spoke with Dr. Brock and Dr. Canaday to assess the situation. "We always want to have conversations with those on the ground first, with AAEP members, and as long as they feel comfortable with the response, and how the resources are going to be used, then we're able to respond quickly and make those resources available to them," Kleine said. In this case, Kleine said a financial donation was the best option, allowing the Foundation for The Horse to work cooperatively with TEF to provide support. "Veterinarians are our trusted entity, and horse owners, horse enthusiasts, and anyone with animals really trust veterinarians to be able to respond, and respond quickly," Kleine said.

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