Hail storms. What to do?

[Curb_Appeal]

We had a pretty wicked hail storm with fairly large stones (big enough to damage my truck) blow through last night. Some areas not too far south got tennis ball sized. It came in fast after I was already in bed, so I had no time to get safely to the barn once I woke up and realized what was happening.

My horses are confined to their paddocks at night, with free access to their attached stalls. I would like to think that they are smart enough to go in their stalls, but I also wonder if the sound of the hail on the barn roof would spook them badly enough chase them outside where they could get pretty beat up.

So…for those who live in hail prone areas: should I lock them in their stalls and hope they behave and don’t thrash around in their stalls, or is it best to leave things as they are and hope they have the good sense to choose noise over pain?

We’ve got more storms in the forecast today and I want to feel a bit better prepared.

[Highflyer]

As long as they have access to shelter I would leave them as is.

[AKB]

I would let the horses figure it out. As long as they have access to their paddocks and their stalls, they should be fine.

[downen]

I bring mine in if I can. Two of them could care less about all the noise, but my pony and TB go crazy from the sound of the hail hitting the tin roof of the overhang. They run frantically around, so I bring them in so as not to risk an injury.

[Curb_Appeal]

Thanks for the replies.

My instinct was to leave things as they are. Glad to see my instincts generally match up with the consensus.

[Bluey]

If you can sensibly, bring them under cover.

Once we had a terrible hail storm in WY, we did get all but one horse in, he was frantic from the hail hitting him and it was unsafe around him.
I dove under the manure truck nearby for cover.
That hail could have killed a person or horse if it hit right and it was not the really big ones, more about golf ball sized.

Another time, here, decades ago, one such hail storm hit and our stallion, that was in a pen by the house, under big trees, tried to cover under the trees, but they were stripped bare by the hail, then huge boulders of hail hit and he just jumped the fence and went to running all around the yard.

Thankfully those hail storms don’t last long, but they sure can do lots of damage.

I imagine a horse caught outside would be sore for some days from the hail hitting him on his head and back.

Good that those huge hail stones, the size of grapefruits here, are few and far apart.
The news reported one went right thru the metal roof, plywood under it and insulation into someone’s bedroom.

If you can put the horses up, it would not be a bad idea.

[Pocket_Pony]

We get hail, but not that big. When we do it comes hard and fast, though. The horses hate being in the barn because the sound on the metal roof, so they’ll go stand in their paddocks under a tree.

For me, I let my horses decide what they want to do.

[js]

I would bring them in and lock them in their stalls. Yes the noise would probably freak them out but I wouldn’t want them getting pounded by big hail either, that would likely leave some serious bruises or worse.

[tazycat]

We had golf ball size hail and my horses were put in their stalls,no way i’d leave them to stand out in that kind of stuff. Even under a tree wouldn’t of protected them…hail was shredding the leaves up.

When severe weather is coming my horses are brought in the barn.

[Guilherme]

What do horses on the range do in a hailstorm? Chances are yours do the exact, same thing.

If hail were a “horse killer” there would not be any horses. Leave them be; they will be just fine unless they get hit by lighting or a falling tree or some other catastrophe over which there is no control. Remember that lightning can strike a barn, too, and all confined horses can die in the ensuing fire.

Put another way, there is no absolute safety.

On a personal note, at last year’s National Cavalry Competition I was awaiting my turn for the Military Horsemanship class when a “blue norther” came through and I ended up sitting a horse in a hail storm getting pelted with, maybe, dime sized/pea gravel sized hail. It was not fun; it’s another reason to wear a helmet!!! There were about 40 horses in the immediate area and many sought protection under some trees; that wasn’t all that effective. None of the horses were happy but nobody got dumped, either.

G.

[FitToBeTied]

We had a pretty nasty hail storm as few weeks ago and the horses were in the barn. I looked out and both of them were munching hay and looking out the top doors. Ours is a morton barn (metal roof).

[Where_sMyWhite]

And ask your insurance company if you are in an area where they will be covering for a hail storm.

When I did live in the Springs and would get pounded by a hail storm, my insurance company would check my zip code and if I was a winner, an estimator would come out, check the roof and decide if it was damaged enough to be replaced through insurance.

I got my roof replaced once for that reason. Also paid a bit extra out of pocket to upgrade to impact resistant shingles

[saultgirl]

I would leave them out.

I certainly wouldn’t run out into a hail storm or lightening storm to try to bring the horses in.

[JanM]

I lived in the Springs right after a big hail storm, and you have to watch for the shady roofers that follow the hail storms. Don’t let them near your property, even if you have to pay a little more, and wait longer to get the roof fixed or replaced. Don’t let anyone inspect your roof until the insurance company says they are sending an adjustor. You can get mysteriously worse roof damage from the fly-by-night company reps climbing around on your roof (that happened to one of the neighbors in the Springs).

I had the best luck with the storm (in 1997), because it happened between the signing of the contract to buy the house, and before closing. Yes, it means that the current owner had to pay the deductible, and their insurance paid for the roof.

[allons-y]

My horses go into “endure mode” with severe rain, hail storms. They turn tail, tuck tails and DONT MOVE. I couldnt get them in with a tractor at that point. If Im early enough, I bring em in, if its in progress, I can’t bring them in. They have trees and a run in shelter when out on pasture, but they always stand outside. “OK boys, see ya later”

[Lady_Eboshi]

[QUOTE=Guilherme;8769727]
What do horses on the range do in a hailstorm? Chances are yours do the exact, same thing.

If hail were a “horse killer” there would not be any horses. Leave them be; they will be just fine unless they get hit by lighting or a falling tree or some other catastrophe over which there is no control. Remember that lightning can strike a barn, too, and all confined horses can die in the ensuing fire.

Put another way, there is no absolute safety.

On a personal note, at last year’s National Cavalry Competition I was awaiting my turn for the Military Horsemanship class when a “blue norther” came through and I ended up sitting a horse in a hail storm getting pelted with, maybe, dime sized/pea gravel sized hail. It was not fun; it’s another reason to wear a helmet!!! There were about 40 horses in the immediate area and many sought protection under some trees; that wasn’t all that effective. None of the horses were happy but nobody got dumped, either.

G.[/QUOTE]

What G. said! My guys know how to handle anything from tornadoes to 500 Harleys and fireworks. They’ll be fine . . . :yes:

[HealingHeart]

I was involved in a hail storm 1 late wee morning & got hit by the hail while shutting up barn. I was so bruised on my leg from the hit that I wondered how horses, cows, other animal are feeling, body wise. It hurts & hurt for about a week… If you know a storm is coming, I would bring my in to shelter.

[Bluey]

In a hail storm horses out to pasture run around as it hits them.

The smart ones try to find cover and respect fences, some do go thru fences.

Cowboys caught outside try to hold their horse put while they hide under the horse best they can, or run to get out of the storm as soon as possible.

We always go check after storms, because cattle do go thru fences if the hail hits them and gets them running.
Some times hail has been thick enough to look like snowdrifts and it beats a pasture’s grasses down to mere mud, not a blade left standing, impressing.

Wild horses don’t just stand there, they too run, until it is over.

Many horses are no worse for wear, but if someone is there to put horses up when such storms come over, why not put them in?
Here, those also may have tornadoes, so that is an extra worry, what to do, better in or out then?

Some times, you just have to take chances and hope nothing happens.

[dani0303]

We get some massive hail storms out here on the plains of CO. My boys live out with access to their sheds. They usually go in there during storms but they did stay out during a big hail storm last week with golfball sized stones. They had their butts turned toward it and they were fine. We were able to put our cars in the barn but the truck didn’t fit. The storm broke all the vinyl siding on the north side of the house and broke a tail light on my pickup.

It looks like we’re on deck for another round tonight. We have the hatches battened down and the boys were fed in their shelter.

[roseymare]

My horses just turn their butts to it if they can’t get to the barn fast enough.

They are good barometers as to whether a storm is quick or set in. They head for the barn for a quick storm but if it is going to rain all day they stay out.