Holy Crap.
I moved from Grass Valley and thought that FINALLY the fire scares every summer would be over.
But they weren’t.
Just yesterday, we had a huge fire that ran up our neighbor’s hill and was cresting our hill. The bombers came and dropped 3 loads of retardant and the firefighters bulldozed around the fire to contain it. Thank Horsegods that no animal nor human was hurt. No houses were burned. Just the land was charred… which is sad but it will come back stronger.
Yikes!
We live right over this hill! You can see the blackened earth. We don’t know how it started but we do know it started at the road.
This is looking out my truck window as I’m driving up our road. You can see the pink retardant and the bulldozed area around the fire.
AS YOU KNOW, I’VE WRITTEN ABOUT SEVERAL PRODUCTS THAT WOULD HELP IF YOU NEEDED TO SET YOUR HORSES FREE DURING AN EMERGENCY…
I’ve been so concerned about having to release my horses during a fire because when there was a fire in Grass Valley, the fire department closed off our nearby streets and said we were basically on our own. The animals would have to be released.
So, I started hunting for ID systems. I looked for ID tags and leg ID wraps and hoof paints or hide paints…
But I think I have found the best idea of all. The ManeStay.
FAST FAST FAST! So easy to put in the mane and DONE! The information is written inside the protected other half.
You push up the hook, attach the hair, and the spring pulls the hook back inside.
THE MANESTAY. You can put it in quickly and trust that it will stay!
OK, when I was at the Western States Horse Expo, I saw this new product called the ManeStay. I didn’t write about it because manufacturing was just starting. But now it is ready! And I have 1. But I need 12. So I’m ordering more.
Here is how it works:
Fill out the protected ID portion of the ManeStay.
Twist a piece of hair (mane or tail) just like you twisted your hair while sitting in your desk in grammar school.
Push up the hook of the ManeStay.
Put the hair in the hook and release.
Done!
Tug at the ManeStay to make sure you got it in there correctly.
I DID IT WITH ANNIE, NORMA AND DODGER – 3 different types of mane hair. And, MY OWN HAIR.
OK, so I used my ManeStay on Annie (regular, straight mane), Norma (donkey) and Dodger (curly, thick mane). It worked on them all!
I even put it in my super fine hair and it stayed. So, I guess, theoretically, you could put it in your kid’s hair or Granny’s, if they wander off. You might get questioned by the authorities, but just sayin’… it works. (They do have a clip-on version for saddles or belt loops of kids and grannies!)
As soon as this came, I ran outside and put it in Annie’s mane. It was instant!
I tugged on it – hard – to make sure it was set in well.
Yes, Dodger was muddy… His mane was dirty and curly. Again, the ManeStay was solid in there.
I then put it on Norma’s tiny, thin mane and it hung right in there!!!
GET YOURS!
Sierra View Ranch and I.C.E. products now have plenty in stock!
$20 each. Money well spent. You don’t want to face an emergency and wish you had one.
BE SAFE THIS FIRE SEASON!
Hi everyone,
My husband and I are the inventors of ManeStay, so I wanted to address any concerns H&M readers have about its flame resistance.
The I.C.E. label itself is made of a Cal-Fire rated flame resistant material. The nylon strap melts at between 419º and 430º. The ABS plastic melts at between 425º and 515º. The metal parts are stainless steel.
If your horse is standing in or moving through 400º temperatures, he’s unfortunately already in trouble and the product wouldn’t be able to save him. The mane hair melts at a lower temperature than any of the ManeStay’s components, so the ManeStay would fall off with the mane. I know, that sounds so awful, but I did want to allay your concerns about ManeStay’s resistance to heat and flame.
It is intended for quick, secure attachment to a horse that you’re having to release to fend for himself. You could also attach it to a horse you are evacuating to another location. Its high visibility will make it more likely, we expect, for the horse wearing a ManeStay to be one of the first horses processed in a group evacuation situation, and returned to his family.
Be sure to use an ultrafine permanent marker (Sharpie® is what we use) or a ballpoint pen to write your emergency info on the I.C.E. label, to ensure your info is waterproof and permanent.
Hi Kim: It feels very heavy like PVC. I wouldn’t use it if my horses were trapped in a barn…
but I think it would work great in the situation where you had to release your horses. And,
it is much quicker than trying to use a pen on a hoof or marker on hide. But, really, any method
that works for you will get the job done. I just really liked the ease of use and speed of the ManeStay.
I would worry that the ambient heat, which can be incredible, would heat the plastic and metal and melt on the skin and burn them. What do you think?