-A horseshoe on a Parish indicates that they have a Ralph's Responders bag

 Other States with bags- Texas

What is Ralph’s Responder’s? This is a special program that one of our volunteer responder’s started to honor her horse and keep his memory alive so that his passing has some good come from it. It includes both the creation of a large animal responder go-bag drawn from the responders own experiences and to be compact for travel, and an educational portion to teach kids through activity books how to include their pets in emergency planning. Two Ralph's Responder go-bags were donated by the volunteer to stock each of the LSART trailers. The reference guide in the bag with an inventory list is free to download, as well as the kids activity books.

Who keeps large animal response go-bags? Professionals trained in large animal handling that may respond to a large animal emergency such as veterinarians, vet techs, animal control, first responders, and volunteers. Equine owners are encouraged to have an emergency kit as well and tips on what to include can be found on the LSART large animal page.

How can I help my parish get training and a Ralph’sResponder’s go-bag? You can sponsor a bag in honor of your own pet, or help raise money to supply your Parish with a bag. The costs of the course and bag is $600. Bags are purchased bi-annually and courses scheduled after the bag is on order. With the bag, the parish will receive a training course on basic large animal handling and how to use what is included in the Ralph bag. Anyone is welcome to attend the course.

What else can I do to help? By being prepared for emergencies with plans that include your pets, and asking your friends to do the same, you can help save lives. There is a PDF activity book that is free to print to help educate children on emergency planning with their pet.

Who was Ralph? Ralph was the barn name of the American Quarter Horse Pine Ridge Bay. While he was never used in competitions, he was very valuable as a teaching horse. His owner, one of our volunteers, learned to ride on him and had logged over 1,000 hours in the saddle and even more on the ground. She could shoot off of him with her bow and his most missed skill will be bowing so that she could hop on bareback without needing a step-stool. He helped train many responders by being such a bomb-proof horse that he didn’t need sedation for training exercises, such as to be washed by groups of students in full body PPE. He helped train 84 vet students during the 2010 Student American Veterinary Medical Association conference. Having such a patient, calm, and collected live animal made hands on training stress free. 

Ralph's Responders Bag Reference Guide

Ready and Living Prepared- Horses(Ralph) Coloring Book

NEW- Hurry, Hurry, Hurricane! - Children's book and coloring sheets 

Hurry, Hurry, Hurricane! Colored book version.

 Ralph's Ready and Living Prepared Activity Book