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Member
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Location: Nebraska | The family recently lost 3 head of horses to lightning. There are others that are showing strange signs that they may have also been hit but lived. Anyone had a horse who lived through a lightning strike?
If so, what treatment did you give them?
If so, did their noticeable signs/symptoms (stroke like) eventually subside?
Edited by triangle4 2015-04-22 12:13 PM
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 Undercover Amish Mafia Member
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Location: Kansas | I saw an article on one....horse lived, had a pretty ugly scar and hole in it's head. I'll see if I can dig up the article |
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Member
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Location: Nebraska | Thanks, I would love to read it! |
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 "Hottie"
Posts: 1373
Location: Okemah,OK | We lost one about 3 years ago :( I'm adamant about my horses being inside in any stormy weather and we had a freak storm at 2 am that wasn't predicted. Looking back, I think the first strike that woke me up was the one that got him. Luckily it didn't kill any of the other 4 that he was with but it did injure my husband's head horse. He looked like he had a burn on his shoulder and was 3 legged lame that night. He basically developed a Sweeny shoulder from the nerve being damaged. It took 18 months but they won a buckle at the first roping they entered after the injury. None of the others had any residual mental or physical problems. I'm sorry for the 3 that were lost, it's a helpless and awful feeling. |
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Member
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Location: Nebraska | Thank you for your story...it is encouraging that there may be hope for the ones that made it through alive! Scars we can deal with :) |
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Location: Texas | Oh my, that's horrible and very rare. We have lost 3 cows over 45 years to lightning but never a horse. |
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 Elite Veteran
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Location: TN | My boyfriend lost three head with one lightning strike nine years ago. One of them was his favorite horse of all time. They were standing under a big tree when it happened. There was a junky broncy gelding that was in the field too and he of course lived. We assume it traveled through the roots. It traumatized my boyfriend. If it even looks like it might storm we get the horses in the barn even if it means waking up in the middle of the night because he heard thunder. We also check the weather radar frequently, especially in spring. I'm so sorry for the loss of your horses and hope the others get back to normal soon. |
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 Can You Hear Me Now?
Location: When you hit the middle of nowhere .. Keep driving | Not meaning to steal the thread but I often wondered if shoes or halters on the horses increased the risk. I am no help but hope your remaining horses are going to be ok. |
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Member
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Location: Nebraska | In our experience, I don't think shoes or halters make any difference. We never turn our horses out with halters on so these did not have halters, as far as shoes...one had shoes who died, the other two did not. Pretty sure it was one strike that got all of them and injured the others. It is actually not uncommon around here for animals to get struck by lightning. Every year you hear of horses or cattle getting struck during the spring and summer storms....but most don't live. We have large hills and large pastures and getting the large # of animals in for every storm is not a reality. I appreciate all your replies.
Edited by triangle4 2015-04-21 4:42 PM
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 Expert
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Location: Gainesville, TX | Most I know die. The few I have read about living are scarred or have some form of permanent damage. |
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 Elite Veteran
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Location: Oklahoma & Texas | I always worry about the barn getting hit and the horses inside getting zapped in the process anyone ever had that happen? |
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"Hottie"
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Location: Okemah,OK | ndiehl - 2015-04-21 4:19 PM
Not meaning to steal the thread but I often wondered if shoes or halters on the horses increased the risk. I am no help but hope your remaining horses are going to be ok.
Ours didn't have on halters or shoes. And of course, there was a sick, cancer ridden cow right across the fence that we had to put down ourselves a few days later. She survived the storm just fine though. I've ALWAYS had a fear of horses being out in storms, have 4 radar apps on my phone, always keep them up if even a slim chance of bad weather and my main horse knows to run to the barn night or day if thunder starts.....cause I'm headed to the barn to put them in. This one came with no warning, 2 am, no distant thunder, etc. Just relieved none of the others were killed. I've read a lot of stories about whole herd dying if they're huddled close. |
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 Expert
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Location: Missouri | We knew someone one about ten years ago that we *believed* had been struck. This lady didn't ever take good care of her horses and didn't take the poor gal to a vet, despite my mom and I urging her to do so. Knowing my mom, she probably offered to cover some of the vet bill. Anyway.... The horse held its head sideways for the rest of its life and her tongue hung out of her mouth. She also couldn't see well out of one eye. |
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Location: Deep South | BBrewster - 2015-04-21 9:23 PM
I always worry about the barn getting hit and the horses inside getting zapped in the process anyone ever had that happen?
I know of one story where this happened. Lost 6 head, all put up in the barn. Lightening hit the barn. |
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Veteran
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Location: hillsboro mo. | My sons good barrel horse got hit and killed while standing under a tree during a storm. Killed the tree too. My son was only 10 at the time and he was the one who found her. It was an ugly sight for sure for him to see. He was going out to bring her up for a regular Vet check. When the Vet arrived he checked the two other horses that were with her but there were no signs of injury . He told me to watch for soreness and they did seem to move around quite a bit slower for a while but no long term effects. Except my son, he never rode again. :( |
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Elite Veteran
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Location: TN | whiplashranch - 2015-04-21 9:56 PM ndiehl - 2015-04-21 4:19 PM Not meaning to steal the thread but I often wondered if shoes or halters on the horses increased the risk. I am no help but hope your remaining horses are going to be ok. Ours didn't have on halters or shoes. And of course, there was a sick, cancer ridden cow right across the fence that we had to put down ourselves a few days later. She survived the storm just fine though. I've ALWAYS had a fear of horses being out in storms, have 4 radar apps on my phone, always keep them up if even a slim chance of bad weather and my main horse knows to run to the barn night or day if thunder starts.....cause I'm headed to the barn to put them in. This one came with no warning, 2 am, no distant thunder, etc. Just relieved none of the others were killed. I've read a lot of stories about whole herd dying if they're huddled close.
Only two of our horses had shoes on, the other one did not. Definitely no halters on - that irritates me to see halters on turned out horses. |
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Member
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Location: Nebraska | again, thanks for your replies. any other experiences on how to treat the survivors would be greatly apprecitated! |
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 Expert
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Location: The best kept secret in TX | I have seen one horse in person that lived. It was a friend's horse. Little Palomino Filly.
The only reason she lived was because it wasn't a direct hit. It traveled through the ground from the tree she was standing under. She lost half her face and eye and her man never grew back right.... Her neck was burned badly and her back as well. The vet said it most likely traveled through the ground, through her body and out her eye.
She was treated in ICU as a burn victim. Sent home later and still treated as a burn victim. I'm not sure what creams and wraps my friend used as I have lost contact with her but I know the poor mare was always in bandages for at least a year. She was never the same. Couldn't hold a bit in her mouth, couldn't be ridden, and couldn't feel any of her face. She made a good Broodmare tho and was sweet as could be. |
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 Extreme Veteran
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Location: NE Arkansas | I have a mare that was struck by lightning. It was something I wasn't told about when I bought her has she has no physical scars but some days she is just a little off. I found out by finding the girl that owned her ok facebook an pretty much looking at a bunch of post till I ran acrossed it. I have plans to try an breed her hopefully all will go good. I'm glad to see there was a comment about one being a broodmare that was struck. |
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Addicted to Baseball
Location: Where the stars at night are big and bright, TX | My husband, another cowboy and both their horses got hit. No one died but it threw them all quite a ways and rang their bells. The cowboys were thrown a distance from the horses. One mare went down, another had the electricity travel up her bridle rein and she just stood and spun for awhile. They all survived a few wounds but no major ongoing issues. |
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 Extreme Veteran
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Location: Mississippi | I owned a gelding many years ago that we thought was struck by lightning. We found him in the pasture after a storm with the hair gone from his rump. It looked like he had been burned. He healed up fine, but would freak out whenever a thunder storm came up after that. |
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 My Heart Be Happy
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Location: Arkansas | Bless your son's heart, that must have been horrible. |
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Expert
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Location: The best kept secret in TX | doublekfarms - 2015-04-22 6:07 PM I have a mare that was struck by lightning. It was something I wasn't told about when I bought her has she has no physical scars but some days she is just a little off. I found out by finding the girl that owned her ok facebook an pretty much looking at a bunch of post till I ran acrossed it. I have plans to try an breed her hopefully all will go good. I'm glad to see there was a comment about one being a broodmare that was struck.
She made a good Momma! 
My friend is currently running on one of her later babies that was sired by one of the Four Sixes Ranch studs. Can't remember which , But she's a looker! |
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Member
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Location: Oklahoma | I did some research after a friend lost two surrogate mares and two foals 2 years ago. Lightning likes the easiest path to the ground and will follow the same path down again. If it was a tree it's recommended to take it down or fence it off with non conductive material. It was heart breaking but one mare and foal made it. They were penned somewhere else. |
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Elite Veteran
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Location: The barn...where else? SW Missouri | I lost my good barrel horse to lightning 7 years ago. He was in the middle of the pasture and nowhere near a tree. He also had no shoes on since it was February and I always pull them in the winter and I never left a halter on him. It was a Tuesday and I was at work and had no clue it was going to storm with lightning since it was in February. But, it was a not normal for Missouri, warm day and a freak cold front came through and the storm turned vicious. I can't leave work to run home and put the horses up, and he was happier turned out anyway. I have no regrets with how he died. I can't go there or it would drive me crazy. He was very well cared for and loved. What is weird is my mom's old retired horse was with him and they were big buds and stood right by each other and he was fine. My horse had a weird streak in his hair and the vet that did the exam for insurance thought it struck him and not the ground. You just take care of them the best you can and go with it are my thoughts. I'm sorry I'm no help on the survivor horses. So sorry this happened. |
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Lightning Strikes and Horses - any experiences? Treatment for survivors?