Attachment 1 Performance Work Statement.pdf

Project Title WRNF Eagle Horse Boarding Contract

General Information The White River National Forest, Eagle/Holy Cross Ranger District, located at 125 West 5th St, Eagle, Colorado, has a requirement for horse boarding services to be provided for up to 4 equines.

Contractor Requirements The horse boarding facility/pasture must be in a location that is convenient for and readily accessible to district stock program staff and must be free of harmful or risky objects. The contractor shall be located within close proximity (2 mile radius) of the Eagle Ranger District office. The 2 mile radius is required in order to facilitate employee time efficiency, and will ultimately result in a substantial financial savings and work efficiency to the agency by limiting employee travel time to and from collecting horses for the workday.

This contract shall cover basic horse needs including:

Open Pasture

Horses must have access to a minimum of one acre per horse of grass pasture to allow for grazing and movement.

Forage/Hay/Supplemental Feed

An adequate supply of forage must be provided for each animal through the 6 month period. During late fall, once the snow cover is too deep for animals to dig for grass, each animal will be fed an adequate amount of hay to ensure that body weight is maintained; this amount should be roughly 1/2 of a bale per horse per day.

The contractor will do the majority of feeding and the USFS will purchase enough hay to meet the annual animal needs. Covered storage in the form of a three-walled hay storage shed large enough to accomoadate roughly 300 small bales of hay per year is required. Hay can be fed scattered in multiple piles on the ground.

The USFS will purchase all hay needed to feed USFS animals annually. If non-USFS owned animals are boarded with USFS animals the owner of those animals needs to purchase the same amount of hay for their animals to ensure the USFS is not feeding non-USFS owned horses.

Supplemental Grain

Supplemental grain will be purchased and fed by USFS personnel but a small (2ft x 2ft or larger) storage area for the grain will be needed adjacent to the animals.

Salt and Vitamin Blocks

Horses shall have access to mineralized salt and vitamin blocks at all times. The USFS will provide the vitamin and salt blocks.

Drinking Water

Horses shall have access to a continuous supply of fresh drinking water – approximately 12 gallons each per day. Water may be provided by a spring fed pond or creek that runs through the horse pasture. Care should be taken to ensure that the route to the water is kept open at all times. The bank should be monitored to ensure that the horses have adequate footing and are not slipping when drinking. An acceptable alternative is a clean water tank with floating or submersible heater.

Snow is not considered a continuous supply of fresh drinking water.

Shelter

Shelter must be provided to enable the horses to escape wind and moisture or provide shade from the sun.

The shelter must not have loose boards, nails, sharp edges or corners that could injure the horses.

Fence Requirements

Fencing must be in good repair and to a standard that will confine horses and mules. All fence maintenance is the responsibility of the contractor. Fence preference is for smooth wire, but barbed wire fencing is acceptable, if in good repair.

Disease Control Practices

All horses boarded together must be vaccinated annually. The Contractor must be able to furnish proof of annual vaccinations upon request. If new horses are to be introduced into the herd they must first be quarantined for a minimum of 7 days prior to introduction, have a current health certificate, and proof of a negative Coggins test.

Other Needs

Area provided shall be large enough to allow less dominant horses to move away from dominant horse.

The contract area must be open to the Forest Service at all times so that horses can be picked up and dropped off and so employees can check on the animals and facility conditions.

There must an off-street parking area large enough to park a full sized pickup truck and 20 foot horse trailer in order to safely load and unload horses.

A corral or “trap” pasture is needed where horses can be segregated for illness or to facilitate catching early in the morning or on repeated use days.

Noxious weeds, especially those that can harm horses shall be controlled by the land owner.

If Contractor plans to add additional horses to the same pasture with the Forest Service horses, the Contractor shall notify the district stock program manager.

The Contractor shall provide due diligence in taking care of horses. Damages will only be sought in cases of extreme negligence by the Contractor.

Performance Requirement Measures

Performance measures are based on the above components within the performance work statement. Horses must be fed daily, be provided 24/7 fresh and clean water, fences must be maintained to standard to ensure they do not present a hazard to horses.