New California Water Restrictions' Impact on Horses

Jim Hendrickson, president of the California Horseman's Association, does not believe that Brown's restrictions will have a major impact on horse owners. Many horse owners reside in rural areas and water horses with wells on their own properties, Hendrickson said. Those lucky enough to live near rivers will fare better than those who do not, he said, adding that the hardest hit will be those whose wells are already burdened by the drought “In some areas the aquifer that feeds wells is so low that they have to truck in water,” Hendrickson said. Tawnee Preisner, operations manager for the Horse Plus Humane Society in Bangor, California, hasn't had to secure outside water yet. But no matter what owners and ranches do to conserve resources, Hendrickson believes that the real cost of the drought lies in the loss of the state's hay fields. “It's not a water issue, it's a feed issue,” Hendrickson said. “Some farmers have already stopped growing alfalfa and started growing trees.” As a result, Hendrickson said he's seen the price of alfalfa hay rise from $6 to $25 or $30 per bale this year. In response, he said, some ranchers began using alfalfa pellets. However, he said he's seen the cost of the pellets rise, as well, from $54 per 250-pound barrel to $75 per barrel. Still, no matter how many rules horse owners impose on themselves, Preisner expects California to mandate more water restrictions in the future. “It has only rained five times this winter," she said. "The longer this drought continues, the more regulations we are going to see.”...more