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Veteran
Posts: 144
 
Location: East TN | With the risk of all that bad weather heading to us here in TN....what do you all do with your horses? Turn them out or leave them in? My only worry is when there is a risk for tornadoes, that if i leave them IN the barn that the barn may fall in, but if they are turned OUT...what about flying debris? its a lose lose situation seemingly..... opinions? |
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 Accident Prone
Posts: 22277
 
Location: 100 miles from Nowhere, AR | Mine can come and go, and they usually put themselves inside during a storm. My barn was torn up 3 years ago with a broodie and 3 week old foal inside. The heavy mesh panel on the stall front saved them from injury from debris, but then the baby cut herself badly later that day on a piece of metal I missed out in the pasture. It's a crapshoot. |
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 Expert
Posts: 1857
 
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  Damn Yankee
Posts: 12390
Location: Somewhere between raising hell and Amazing Grace | Crap Shoot no matter what you do. They can be killed either place. All you can do is provide them with what they need and pray for the best.
My theory.....have you ever seen a horse that was truly comfortable inside four walls during a storm? I haven't. Now if horse is used to being stalled a lot, they are normally better. But my guys are on pasture 24/7, so they can't stand being in a stall on a good weather day.
So many times horses may hurt themselves just by being penned up in bad weather. But at the same token, you don't want to leave them outside without the option of shelter.
So if you have no shelter outside at all for them, I would probably put them in stalls. If you have run ins, or like me they have access to their stalls if they want them, I would keep them turned out.
And again, you can't stop mother nature. It's a risk we all take with our own lives and the lives of our animals. |
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 Midget Lover
Location: Kentucky | Mine were in last night during the rain, hail, lightning, and thunder. At 6:00 AM I let them out to pasture, and about 30 minutes later it was a blinding rainstorm with lightning. I leave for work at 6:30, and I don't want them inside all day. Like Missroselee said, it's a crapshoot either way. You are da*mned if you do, da*mned if you don't.
One of my worst fears is lightning strikes in the pasture, or a lightning strike to the barn. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 667
| I leave mine out. I am in middle Tennessee and its pretty nasty here now. They have the ablilty to get in the run in shed and there is a round bale in there to keep them occupied. Basically I feel like if something bad is going to happen.... it can happen either place. |
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 Expert
Posts: 2135
Location: Somewhere else | Mine are left out. The barn is left open, stall doors open so they can come in if they want. The last time a tornado came close they was up getting fed and liked to kicked holes in the walls trying to get out. After I opened the doors they calmed down. They know what to do. And I hope we never have another one come that close again. I'd rather give them the chance to run for it instead of having the barn collapse on them. JMHO
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Accident Prone
Posts: 22277
Location: 100 miles from Nowhere, AR | missroselee - 2014-04-28 9:20 AM Crap Shoot no matter what you do. They can be killed either place. All you can do is provide them with what they need and pray for the best.
My theory.....have you ever seen a horse that was truly comfortable inside four walls during a storm? I haven't. Now if horse is used to being stalled a lot, they are normally better. But my guys are on pasture 24/7, so they can't stand being in a stall on a good weather day.
So many times horses may hurt themselves just by being penned up in bad weather. But at the same token, you don't want to leave them outside without the option of shelter.
So if you have no shelter outside at all for them, I would probably put them in stalls. If you have run ins, or like me they have access to their stalls if they want them, I would keep them turned out.
And again, you can't stop mother nature. It's a risk we all take with our own lives and the lives of our animals.
I can remember looking out the window just before we went into the safe room during a tornado warning, and by the light of a lightening strike saw my whole herd running the pasture fence instead of being inside like normal. Tornado on the ground missed us by a quarter mile, and they were all ok. |
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Damn Yankee
Posts: 12390
Location: Somewhere between raising hell and Amazing Grace | All we can do is provide them what we think will keep them safe, but in reality, mother nature will always win. Either mother nature and instinct will keep them safe and tell them the best place to go, or it will be the end of them. No matter what a person decides, they need to remember that in the worst case scenario, it is never THEIR fault....and no matter how much you love your horses, as we all do, horses are in fact replaceable. Humans are not. |
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 The Bird Lady
Posts: 6440
Location: The end of the Earth, SE AR | Our barn is actually sturdier than our house.
I put them inside; it was calling for possible tornados, hail and severe thunderstorms and we had lots of lightning and heavy rain. |
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Midget Lover
Location: Kentucky | rollingrfarm - 2014-04-28 11:18 AM Our barn is actually sturdier than our house.
I put them inside; it was calling for possible tornados, hail and severe thunderstorms and we had lots of lightning and heavy rain.
I swear I feel that way too.... we joke that we will go out to the barn instead of our basement if there is ever a tornado! |
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 I Chore in Chucks
Posts: 2882
Location: MD | If I had the option of timber or a loafing shed, I would prefer to leave mine out, but I wouldn't be able to. Mine are also very comfortable in their stalls. I have one horse who will jump fences in order to get inside during a bad storm(and has before), so inside it is! It's a crap shoot and I feel like I have better luck with inside than out! |
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