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Expert
Posts: 1343
  
Location: East Texas | I live in East Texas and the weather folks are predicting a severe outbreak of some bad storms with a lot of tornadoes. Do you believe your horses are safer turned out in the pasture or put up in the barn? I am torn as to what to do with them. I can see both sides. Your thoughts? |
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 Undercover Amish Mafia Member
Posts: 9991
  
Location: Kansas | Mine will stand outside in the rain.....nothing I can do about it. They will flip out if stalled and its a severe storm, so I keep them outside in the pasture with the leantoo.....last night they were running around like crazy when it was thundering.
This morning while it was pouring, they had their butts to the fence standing there LOL |
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 Midget Lover
Location: Kentucky | It really depends. If it's wind, hail, rain, lightning, thunder then they are inside. If there is a tornado watch, then I probably want them out. I feel they can at least "get away" if a tornado rips through the area. |
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 Expert
Posts: 1857
| Turn them out! Much safer than locked in a barn. If your pastures aren't that big I would open your gate and just let them out(sorry should clarify-only if a tornado is headed your way) When I was young we had a tornado go through our place. Found one horse 3 miles from the house, the others where within the mile section. We had a couple of them turned out in a area about the size of an arena, picked them up! Only had to put one down, but the others had some devastating injuries. Had my parents been thinking(I think I was only 10-11 at the time) they would have opened the gate and let them out, they would have had a better chance to get out of the way. |
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Expert
Posts: 1343
Location: East Texas | Murphy - 2014-04-24 1:21 PM
It really depends. If it's wind, hail, rain, lightning, thunder then they are inside. If there is a tornado watch, then I probably want them out. I feel they can at least "get away" if a tornado rips through the area.
And I think that is the problem... they are predicting all of that AND a big risk for tornadoes. I do put them up when it is heavy rain and lightening. I guess it's the tornadoes I am most worried about. |
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Expert
Posts: 2685
| I was thinking about asking about this because I'm in OK and they are calling for tornados this weekend. I have always heard turn them out so they can get away but I'm kind of in town and my pasture is only a few acres so I fear it would be more of a horrible bowling game if I turned them out because I don't think they could get away. My barn however, is made of cinder blocks and from the floor to 4ft up the cinder blocks are full of concrete. The barn is SOLID lol. My mom was a firefighter during the May3rd that tore OK up and helped clean the wreckage up. She thinks the barn could withstand up to like f-3. She said the roof will probably rip off but the barn shouldn't go anywhere.
We have always said we will load as many as we can and leave if a tornado gets within an hour of the barn but I can't get everyone in the trailer :( |
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Expert
Posts: 1343
Location: East Texas | RoaniePonie11 - 2014-04-24 1:26 PM
I was thinking about asking about this because I'm in OK and they are calling for tornados this weekend. I have always heard turn them out so they can get away but I'm kind of in town and my pasture is only a few acres so I fear it would be more of a horrible bowling game if I turned them out because I don't think they could get away. My barn however, is made of cinder blocks and from the floor to 4ft up the cinder blocks are full of concrete. The barn is SOLID lol. My mom was a firefighter during the May3rd that tore OK up and helped clean the wreckage up. She thinks the barn could withstand up to like f-3. She said the roof will probably rip off but the barn shouldn't go anywhere.
We have always said we will load as many as we can and leave if a tornado gets within an hour of the barn but I can't get everyone in the trailer :(
Yep... these are the storms I am talking about! I will be praying for us here in Texas and you in OK that we all come out okay!!! |
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 Shelter Dog Lover
Posts: 10277
| I call one of my geldings the princess, we get the slightest sprinkle and he is heading to his cover. In the summer he bangs on the barn wanting to be put up under his fan, he has lots of nice big shade trees too.
I would think that if you are in a more rural area that would have less flying debris from a tornado, they would do better out. I keep mine up though if I think I might have to load up and get the heck out of dodge. Stay safe!! |
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Rad Dork
Posts: 5218
Location: Oklahoma | Mine have always been left out in their pasture, but they are also never stalled. They have plenty of trees in the pasture to help with shade in the heat and if they want to be out of the rain they get under my dad's feed bin or under whatever awning they can find. My parents have a pretty big shed that equipment and trucks stay under, but there are gates to keep them out of the actual shed, but they still get the cover of the metal for a good 4-5 feet. |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 806
Location: Arkansas | I put mine up. I've lost more horses to lightning strikes than tornados. And, we have our fair share as well. Its really a toss up. Danged if you do. Danged if you don't. I was thinking this morning after watching the weather for this weekend that I wish I could build a safety room like we have at our school district to put my animals AND my family in. I would feel so much better having all of my loves under one sturdy roof! |
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 Tough Patooty
Posts: 2615
Location: Sperry, OK | When I was working at a clinic, one of our clients lost a horse during a rain storm. He as standing in the pature (in the wet/water), lightening struck quite a ways away.. the electricity traveled along the ground in the water and electricuted her horse. |
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 Expert
Posts: 2276
Location: ohio-in my own little world with pretty ponies :) | Where I live currently we don't have much land and there's a lot around us so it's better to keep them in. Where we are moving we will have a lot more room and we don't really have anything around us so we would probably either turn out with tags on their halter(laminated stating name, owner, address, phone number) or if we have time we would load up. |
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 Expert
Posts: 2135
Location: Somewhere else | Mine stay out. The barn is left open and they come and go as they please. I figure they have a heck of alot better chance of making it if they can get away and not be locked in a barn that could possible collapse on them. We've made it thru 3 minor tornados and they did just fine out in the pasture. |
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Expert
Posts: 1343
Location: East Texas | After reading everyone's suggestions, it seems that most agree on leaving out if tornadoes are expected. Praying anyone and everyone in the paths of these storms stay safe - human and animal alike!!!
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  Living on the edge of common sense
Posts: 24138
Location: Carpenter, WY |
Attachments
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 get-photo.asp (58KB - 337 downloads)
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 685
Location: Arkansas | We live in the middle of the woods and feel they would be more likely to be hit by flying debris outside than a tornado hit the barn. If we lived in open country I would feel much differently!!! |
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 Accident Prone
Posts: 22277
Location: 100 miles from Nowhere, AR | Mine can go in and out as they please. When it storms, I let them decide where to go and then pray they stay safe. |
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"Heck's Coming With Me"
Posts: 10794
Location: Kansas | Think about it. Panic-stricken and storm-driven. They're way more likely to end up tangled in a fence or running through one if they're outside. I want mine all snuggy inside. If the barn gets hit, at least they have some protection. Outside none.
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 IMA No Hair Style Gal
Posts: 2594
| A question I never thought I would have to worry about, until two years ago an F4 torando ripped through my area...a horse farm close by got hit. They lost EVERYTHING, horses too.
It didn't matter if they were out, or if they were in....
One horse was in the barn which had fallen just right and they found the horse alive, lived for a few days but didn't make it. Another horse they found alive out in the pasture a few days later. The rest of their horses (not sure how many but close to 20 maybe) did not make it.
Anyways my point is-you are MORE likely going to be hit with wind, hail, and lightening before being hit directly. If you are hit directly it doesn't matter where your horses are.
I personally would keep mine in and say some prayers.
Edited by magic gunsmoke 2014-04-24 9:14 PM
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Expert
Posts: 2276
Location: ohio-in my own little world with pretty ponies :) | teehaha - 2014-04-24 5:01 PM
That picture is amazing and scary at the same time! |
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Expert
Posts: 1477
Location: In the land of peanuts and cotton | I'm in Alabama so we get Texas's left overs. Lighting and rain I put them up but the second we go into "tornado mode" I let them out. My barn is open front with 3 sides and all my stalls are in a row. I tie my stall gates open that way if the want to get under the barn they can but if something happens to barn there not stuck in there. We've lost our barn twice. Once in a hurricane and once during a tornado. We had 2(mare and baby) in the barn during the hurricane. We were very lucky. Baby was fine but mare was a limitless cut but nothing major physically but she was mentally messed up. Before she was a horse anyone could ride and 100% bomb proof but after the hurricane she would spook at the slightest noise. So I've always let them out. |
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 Friendly horse swapper
Posts: 4122
Location: Buffalo, TX | Frodo - 2014-04-24 8:10 PM Think about it. Panic-stricken and storm-driven. They're way more likely to end up tangled in a fence or running through one if they're outside. I want mine all snuggy inside. If the barn gets hit, at least they have some protection. Outside none.
That's my thinking...and my barn is pipe constructed all cemented in the ground, so it may lose the roof, but it would have to take a direct hit to do a lot more damage..... I always feel like there's a huge chance of them being maimed by flying debris outside.....and a very small chance of my barn taking the direct hit....my horses are out all the time and they can come in if they want, but I only put them in a stall if it's lightning or ice or tornado....however, we have such a good warning system that if I feel threatened by a direct hit, I will load them up and go south out of the way until it's passed...all you can do is what your gut tells you and hope you and your family and horses are ok.... |
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I Really Love Jeans
Posts: 3173
Location: North Dakota | I would keep the horses in. If the weatheer gets bad enough to destroy the barn they definately don't have a chance standing in the pasture. I have a mare that WILL stand in the pasture eating grass during any storm so they have to be put in. I am affraid of the lightning more than anything though. |
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Undercover Amish Mafia Member
Posts: 9991
Location: Kansas | teehaha - 2014-04-24 4:01 PM
I can't see the picture :( |
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 Triple Extra-Ordinaire
Posts: 4244
Location: Okla | I know they are safer out, where they can get away. But I only have 5 acres--and have housing additions on 2 sides of my property. So debris is more than likely. I've always had the mindset that the risk of a tornado actually hitting my barn was very slim, so I put my horses in stalls. Saying that a few yrs ago an F-5 tornado came within 1/2 mile of my house. Needless to say if it would have been 1/2 mile closer the horses wouldn't have survived no matter where they would have been. |
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 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 356
| lexyy12 - 2014-04-24 2:56 PM
Where I live currently we don't have much land and there's a lot around us so it's better to keep them in. Where we are moving we will have a lot more room and we don't really have anything around us so we would probably either turn out with tags on their halter(laminated stating name, owner, address, phone number) or if we have time we would load up.
Rather than turning them out with halters on, attach the tags to their manes! |
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The Resident Destroyer of Liberal Logic
Location: PNW | k.maddocks24 - 2014-04-25 12:50 PM
lexyy12 - 2014-04-24 2:56 PM
Where I live currently we don't have much land and there's a lot around us so it's better to keep them in. Where we are moving we will have a lot more room and we don't really have anything around us so we would probably either turn out with tags on their halter(laminated stating name, owner, address, phone number) or if we have time we would load up.
Rather than turning them out with halters on, attach the tags to their manes!
Or use the wax livestock crayons and write your phone number on their bodies. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 1115
| My husband and I took a hit last year- unsure if it was direct or not. I lost a horse trailer, round pen, and my house to the El Reno tornado. Two of my loafing sheds were destroyed. I had two horses up in small paddocks with sheds and the rest of the horses were out in a 20 acre pasture. Other than small cuts, the horses out in the pasture were fine. There was debris everywhere so I'm not sure how they came out as good as they did. The horses in the paddocks were unscathed.
I was out in a rural area with a house on either side of me on 20 +/- acre tracts. My neighbors also had horses and most of them were fine. One got cut on debris after the tornado and had to be taken to the vet for treatment. |
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