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Tina Wolcott doesn’t want her horses inhaling secondhand smoke. She also wants safety for her family, employees, volunteers, visitors and other trusted furbabies who roam both her Wyoming County farm and barn. That’s why she contacted Tobacco-Free Genesee, Orleans and Wyoming counties (TF-GOW) recently and declared her stable and surrounding properties a tobacco free zone.
Wolcott has always been an advocate for tobacco free living. This year she decided to turn her push for health into an official tobacco free business policy.
Experts note the effects of smoke on horses are similar to effects on humans; irritation of the eyes and respiratory tract, aggravation of conditions like heaves (recurrent airway obstruction), and reduced lung function.
And it’s not just secondhand smoke that poses a risk to barn animals. Discarded cigarette butts or other tobacco products left within reach of animals can cause gastrointestinal problems or even nicotine toxicity.
Wolcott Farms, family-owned and operated for 20 years, is nestled away on 48 acres of beautiful Wyoming County countryside is Warsaw. The farm’s motto boasts 4 seasons of fun, well, 4 seasons of tobacco free fun that is.