Hi everyone! I was wondering if anyone had tips for this type of situation. In the summer, there are plenty of pop-up t-storms in my area and most happen in the early morning, so I don’t have a lot of preparation. I have one mare who stands under this tiny branch in the farthest corner of the pasture as soon as she hears thunder or knows a storm is coming. She will not budge from that spot even if it isn’t raining. Many times I have had to run all the way down the pasture and pull her from that spot before the rain comes and often, we both get drenched because the rain starts as we are running through the pasture. It has become a problem because now, she will not even go into the barn. This morning, an awful severe thunderstorm popped up out of no where and I had to do the whole pasture routine. I dragged her out of the pasture, but she would only go half way through the barn yard and would not move. I was just standing there soaking wet trying to push and pull her, smack her rear, but she wouldn’t move. I eventually gave up and just put her back in the pasture while it rained. Lets just say, we both looked like wet rats after this. Anyways, I have no clue why she acts like this and I need to find a way to make her go in the barn. My worst nightmare is that a tree falls on her in the pasture or she gets hit by lightning. Thanks.
I suppose you could work on teaching her lead anywhere and everywhere so in a stressful situation she is more likely to cooperate.
You can also look at why she does not want to go into the barn. Is it a group set-up and being in a confined space with others is stressful?
At my place I have two opposing horse personalities when it comes to bad weather. One horse runs for shelter the instant it starts to rain or get ugly. The other just turns their butt to the weather and continues doing horse things. The second would rather stand there, head down in the downpour than have to turn into the weather to walk into the barn when I am there begging her to come in.
I just stopped trying to make her come in. I let hang out in the rain.
@trubandloki the second horse you mentioned is exactly how my mare acts. She’ll go up just fine if you put her up before the storm is there, but otherwise, she will barely budge. I let her go in the rain, but t-storms scare me because we have a lot of dead trees along side this pasture and we can’t necessarily cut them down because they re technically on our neighbors property. And she is the only horse at our farm right now. We just sold a few and she was the only one we kept.
Do you have an option to set her up so she can go into shelter by herself when a storm is coming? Or will she not do that?
Is there any option to ask the owner of the dead trees if you can have them cut down?
For some horses it’s natural for them to hunker down in storms. A lot depends on how they were raised. My spoiled WB used
to come running frantically to the shelter/barn when one rain drop fell. My saddlebred who was raised in large remote pasture
just continues whatever he was doing w/ butt to the wind. Same in real hurricanes-180 mph winds, he wants to stay outside.
Your choices are either leave your horse outside, which is his preference, or do ground training for obedience, or get him in early enough before storm arrives. I’ve learned that ALWAYS giving some food in barn/shelter before storm will teach them the habit of going inside for storms. You can change their preferred habit with food.
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You might try a month or so when you put her up for the night every night, regardless of forecast, see if she can get more comfortable in the barn in general. Chances are at least some of those nights there’ll be a storm so she can start acclimating. The sound of thunder/rain/wind without being able to see outside may be unsettling to her. When you rush out there with high adrenaline because a storm is approaching, that’s not exactly a good mindset for YOU to be training, either. You’re just trying to get the job done, urgently.
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Your safety matters more than a horse, and you should not be putting yourself at risk of lightning strike to get him inside. If you can hear thunder, the storm is already close enough to produce lightning where you are. Definitely not safe to be out in a field under trees. Keep the 30/30 rule in mind-- stay indoors if you see lightning and can’t count to 30 before the next thunder and/or stay indoors until 30min after the last thunder.
I may be more cautious than most about this, but it’s because I came very close to getting struck by lightning in exactly that situation-- running around to get the horses all in from the pasture with thunder rolling overhead. No rain or visible lightning yet. While I was closing the last field gate, my hair all stood on end, and my hand was stuck on the gate-- I literally could not open my hand (because there was a current going through it). Ripped my hand away thanks to a massive burst of adrenaline and ran to the barn like I was on fire. I will never forget that awful feeling.
cut that tree down? or fence it off so the horse not seek shelter under it.
Lightening is a major concern, of the six horses I took care of while in college three were killed by lightening
Interestingly, I don’t think it is 100% clear that horses are safer inside barns during storms. Many horses seek out low ground or a place where they are naturally safe during a storm, even if that place isn’t protected from rainfall. Horses can be killed by lightening strikes, but horses can also be killed when lightening strikes a building, fence or tree that they are standing next to and the electricity reaches them in that manner. Here’s an article that I think is good about lightening strikes.
https://thehorse.com/13872/lightning-strikes-and-horses/
During a storm, if there are high winds, a horse might be protected from flying debris by being inside of a barn, but they might also be at higher risk of injury if that barn itself is damaged by the high winds.
You may seek to find out if there is something about your barn that is “uncomfortable” for your horses during a storm. For example, the noises created by rain or winds inside your barn.
For the moment, I would consider all factors and possibly simply let this horse stay outside during storms.
Hard to imagine neighbor would refuse a request to let you cut down dead trees on the property line, but regardless you do have the legal right to cut any part of the tree that overhangs your property. So you can immediately reduce the risk of branches falling on your side. But it also potentially unbalances the remaining tree, increasing risk it will fall. So it’s not something I would do without first having tried hard with the neighbor to find a mutually agreeable solution.
Doesn’t mean your horse won’t still huddle there and have the same risk of lightning. So it only solves part of your problem. But dead trees along a fenceline still carry a high risk of damaging your perimeter fence, which poses its own serious risk to the horse so I’d say it’s worth doing.
Mine have 24/7 access to shelter, and I just let them decide whether to go out or in.
Like BeeHoney said, they can get hurt either way.
Where we live there are hurricanes (just had one the other night) which can cause things to go flying but I think they’re in less danger being out than in. At least, they’re generally more relaxed out than in, which can help them not hurt themselves.
A neighbor of mine’s barn got flattened by a downburst - luckily almost no one here shuts their horses up during a storm, so he only lost a structure not an animal.
I have a horse like that, she will go under a tree while the other horses head for the barn.
Try treats, both on you and waiting for her in the barn.
If that doesn’t work can you put a bridle on her instead of the halter , she might lead better that way.
A stud chain or a knitted rope halter are other options,just get her used to them beforehand.
I have a horse like that, she will go under a tree while the other horses head for the barn.
Try treats, both on you and waiting for her in the barn.
If that doesn’t work can you put a bridle on her instead of the halter , she might lead better that way.
A stud chain or a knotted rope halter are other options,just get her used to them beforehand.
Heck, right now my horses prefer to be out when it’s raining or storming because it means it’s cooler and there are no bugs.
I provide them with access to shelter, and they use it when they feel like it (one barely leaves it during the day due to the aforementioned heat and bugs). I figure as long as they know the shelter is there and feel safe getting to it, they’re in charge.
Now, if she just doesn’t feel safe in your shelter (noise or whatever) I agree with some of the other folks saying food/treats are good bribery to use daily for a while.
Barns roofs can make a difference as to how comfortable a horse feels inside.
I board where the barns have metal roofs and are very scary noisy during heavy rain storms or hail. The horses get pretty upset - would leave if they could. The horses quiet or relax if loud rain and debris noise on the roof subside.
Generally, the horses will stay in paddock shelter with metal roofs when raining but will dash outside if torrents of rain or hail pound on the roof.
