This is a lengthy statement but in the interest of transparency for our clients and friends, please read to the end if you have an upcoming appointment with us:

 

The Governor of Michigan issued an Executive Order today (Executive Order 2020-21 (COVID-19)) as a “Temporary requirement to suspend activities that are not necessary to sustain or protect life.”  The first section states:

​

1. This order must be construed broadly to prohibit in-person work that is not necessary to sustain or protect life.

 

It goes on to further state:

​

4a. For purposes of this order, workers who are necessary to sustain or protect life are defined as “critical infrastructure workers,” as described in sections 8 and 9.

 

Section 8a specifies the “Health care and public health” sector as being part of critical infrastructure; Section 8c specifies “Food and agriculture”.

 

Section 4b states:

​

4b. For purposes of this order, workers who are necessary to conduct minimum basic operations are those whose in-person presence is strictly necessary to allow the business or operation to maintain the value of inventory and equipment, care for animals, ensure security, process transactions (including payroll and employee benefits), or facilitate the ability of other workers to work remotely.

 

We have many clients who depend on our services to sustain their horses’ health, especially rescues and owners with elder horses requiring regular dental care to prevent serious conditions such as colic and choke. Horses that have difficulty eating and/or have not wintered well require dental care to ensure that they are getting the most from the nutrients in their feed in order to sustain their health.

 

For these reasons, and after careful consideration, we are going to preserve our schedule to the extent that our clients are in need and for the welfare of the equines in our practice, with the following provisions:

​

• If you are boarding your horse, your barn owner must consent to us being on the property and must enforce strict protocols for social distancing, including limiting those who are present at the barn and maintaining a 6’ distance between those who are present at all times.  ​

​

• If your horse is located on your private property, we ask that only ONE person be present at the time of the appointment (the horse’s owner or their delegate, no children) and that strict protocols for social separation are enforced.

​

• In an attempt to make things easier in terms of payment for services, if you can't be at your barn in person or get payment there in advance, we are suspending our transaction fee for credit/debit/PayPal payments effective immediately through April 20, 2020. Electronic payment needs to be made IN ADVANCE of your appointment if you will not be present. This does NOT, however, negate the need for someone over the age of 18 to be present for your horse’s appointment.

 

• Please do not attempt to assist Doug in any way during your appointment, including touching or handling any of his tools or equipment.

 

As stated in our previous COVID-19 statement:

1. If you intend to postpone your appointment with Doug, please let us know as far in advance as possible so that scheduling adjustments can be made.

2. If know you have been exposed to someone who has been confirmed to have been (or suspects that they have been) infected by COVID-19, please contact us to postpone your appointment.

3. Should either one of us become ill, or should either one of us be exposed to the virus, we will immediately communicate accordingly and all appointments will be postponed until further notice.

4. Postponed appointments will be preserved in the order that they were scheduled. No new itineraries will be confirmed until we are able to guarantee appointments for anyone who has postponed. If you are an established annual recurring client, you will not lose your placeholder for next year if you choose to reschedule.

 

Jen will be contacting everyone who has a confirmed appointment with us, again, to reconfirm the need/desire to preserve existing appointments based on this new Executive Order.

​

We appreciate your patience as we navigate this uncharted territory. If anything changes with our ability to keep our scheduling commitments, we will let you know as soon as we can.

​

Thanks for your understanding,

​

Doug & Jen

​