Safety of horse in storm with lightening

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Colette Sossaman on May 14, 2010 at 4:04pm

If they are shod, it's the same as a lightning rod, very dangerous. I sold a show jumper years ago that was killed by lightning. They turned him out at night to keep his coat from fading and he was struck and killed.
I also had a friend of mine who's herd were all killed the same day by lightning. They were all standing under a tree. The only one that survived was a 30 year old pony who was barefoot. The other 4 all had shoes and were killed.

Permalink Reply by Lauren A on May 14, 2010 at 4:21pm

Knowing that lightning will hit the highest/tallest thing, I don't think they are very safe in a flat field if they are the tallest object. Especially a horse that is wearing metal shoes!
It's even dangerous for a person to run out during a storm to bring them inside...so many horses & people have been hit & killed doing this.
For my own piece of mind I would prefer them in the barn.

Permalink Reply by Jenny Prahl on May 14, 2010 at 4:49pm

I'd rather they were in the barn during a storm but sometimes you aren't around to do anything about it. We had an unexpected little storm roll in, nothing impressive at all, only a couple cracks of lightening. I found out later, my friend down the road had just gotten home from grocery shopping, set her things on the kitchen counter, looked out the window at the exact same moment lightening hit the tree her 3 horses were standing under!!! They all died. It was devastating to her! She felt terrible, as I am sure I would too but it was just one of those odd circumstances. So sad.

Permalink Reply by Leanne Baldwin on May 14, 2010 at 6:12pm

I'm lucky enough to be home with the horses everyday, so when a storm is rolling in I bring them in, I don't take any chances, if it's a bad enough storm it usually has high winds and lightning, I think they are safer in the barn.

Permalink Reply by Mackenzie K. Bodnar on May 16, 2010 at 11:32pm

My vote would be to get them inside.