- Jul 26, 2010
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In years past, people in the very open plains states - people who had no trees or buildings for miles and miles around, and who had poorly constructed buildings with cheap foundations and footings, preferred to leave their horses out to fend for themselves. Of course that was also a day when horses were not family pets and cost 5 dollars a head.
About falling trees - all trees on your property should be evaluated for strength and storm worthiness, and any trees within 100 ft of your buildings should be cut down and removed if they are not storm worthy. Neighbors must cooperate with neighbors and cut down unstable trees that threaten their neighbor's buildings. We have cut down a number of dead and lopsided trees that could not withstand a storm. Sometimes here, before a storm, you can sit on your porch and hear people feverishly trying to cut down trees they KNOW are in bad shape, before the storm hits. It's better to keep up with it all the time.
Put them in the barn. The most crucial thing you have to keep in mind is that while downed trees may not affect horses inside the building, they most definitely WILL damage your fence and you do NOT want your horses in the pasture and running out through a damaged fence. We aren't living in the frontier days any more, and a loose horse is a dead horse, with our high speed roadways (as well as with the storm reducing visibility and making emergency people have to drive emergency vehicles even more).
Blowing debris can kill them outside, whether a tree falls on them or not. Their instinct to take flight can also kill them, but moving debris threatens all horses whether they are likely to run or not. But often that moving debris will cause them to run wildly - a rolling trash can that was not secured for example, or shingles or ag panel pulled off a roof, if not from your property, from the neighbor's property.
Down in Fla one year my friend's horse was out in high winds from Hurricane andrew - her horse and the rest of the herd started running and ran into the fence - 3 horses killed.
In another situation the horses were out in a field and staying relatively still, huddled together - two of the horses were hit with debris, maybe a couple of small pieces of metal siding or roofing material, and bled out and were dead before anyone could do anything.
In another storm, my friend's horse was left outside and was hit by lightning and killed, blown to smithereens.
If you do not plan on evacuating the horses (if they were mine, I would haul them inland out of reach of the hurricane and board them at a boarding stable for the period of time the storm is predicted for), then keep them in the barn, close the doors and tie them down (we have hurricane anchors for our doors). The roof trusses and sheathing will help to protect them from falling trees and the building siding will protect them from flying debris. 80 mph winds are not high enough to bring down buildings unless they are faultily constructed - our buildings here have withstood steady 80 mph winds and falling trees.
If your buildings are not storm worthy, evacuate your horses.
Outside, they are at the mercy of flying debris and their own flight instincts.
When the storm approaches, be sure you have hay and water stockpiled in case it is difficult to get out and get supplies.
When the storm is close, put shipping boots or leg bandages and bell boots on the horses, put blankets and hoods on if you have them, secure the blankets with a surcingle and adjust all straps so they are snug and keep the blankets on straight, and close stall doors and windows - including inside stall doors. Do not change stabling arrangements - leave horses in the stalls they are used to. Horses are usually amazingly calm in storms, as long as they are in their familiar stalls.
Lay flat and weight any objects in the barn likely to be picked up by the wind should a door become unsecured, and remove all objects near windows. Glass windows should be covered with a piece of nailed-on plywood.
Sedate horses that are likely to be jumpy and put PLENTY of feed and water in the stalls - and if you can at all avoid going in the stalls during the storm DO SO - do NOT go into the stalls with the horses while the worst of the storm is happening. Even the gentlest horse can jump suddenly and hurt you. Staying outside the stalls and talking quietly to the horses may help to keep them calm, but more than likely, they'll see any change in your routine as suspicious and cause tension in them - you're usually better off in the house anyway, and keeping everything as true-to-routine as possible.
Tie down everything that could move, and secure all loose items outdoors.
Write your cell phone number and name on each horse's blankets with indelible pen in great big letters - and hang onto your butts.
When the worst of the wind is over, be sure to remove blankets and bandages so the horses will not get overheated.
About falling trees - all trees on your property should be evaluated for strength and storm worthiness, and any trees within 100 ft of your buildings should be cut down and removed if they are not storm worthy. Neighbors must cooperate with neighbors and cut down unstable trees that threaten their neighbor's buildings. We have cut down a number of dead and lopsided trees that could not withstand a storm. Sometimes here, before a storm, you can sit on your porch and hear people feverishly trying to cut down trees they KNOW are in bad shape, before the storm hits. It's better to keep up with it all the time.
Put them in the barn. The most crucial thing you have to keep in mind is that while downed trees may not affect horses inside the building, they most definitely WILL damage your fence and you do NOT want your horses in the pasture and running out through a damaged fence. We aren't living in the frontier days any more, and a loose horse is a dead horse, with our high speed roadways (as well as with the storm reducing visibility and making emergency people have to drive emergency vehicles even more).
Blowing debris can kill them outside, whether a tree falls on them or not. Their instinct to take flight can also kill them, but moving debris threatens all horses whether they are likely to run or not. But often that moving debris will cause them to run wildly - a rolling trash can that was not secured for example, or shingles or ag panel pulled off a roof, if not from your property, from the neighbor's property.
Down in Fla one year my friend's horse was out in high winds from Hurricane andrew - her horse and the rest of the herd started running and ran into the fence - 3 horses killed.
In another situation the horses were out in a field and staying relatively still, huddled together - two of the horses were hit with debris, maybe a couple of small pieces of metal siding or roofing material, and bled out and were dead before anyone could do anything.
In another storm, my friend's horse was left outside and was hit by lightning and killed, blown to smithereens.
If you do not plan on evacuating the horses (if they were mine, I would haul them inland out of reach of the hurricane and board them at a boarding stable for the period of time the storm is predicted for), then keep them in the barn, close the doors and tie them down (we have hurricane anchors for our doors). The roof trusses and sheathing will help to protect them from falling trees and the building siding will protect them from flying debris. 80 mph winds are not high enough to bring down buildings unless they are faultily constructed - our buildings here have withstood steady 80 mph winds and falling trees.
If your buildings are not storm worthy, evacuate your horses.
Outside, they are at the mercy of flying debris and their own flight instincts.
When the storm approaches, be sure you have hay and water stockpiled in case it is difficult to get out and get supplies.
When the storm is close, put shipping boots or leg bandages and bell boots on the horses, put blankets and hoods on if you have them, secure the blankets with a surcingle and adjust all straps so they are snug and keep the blankets on straight, and close stall doors and windows - including inside stall doors. Do not change stabling arrangements - leave horses in the stalls they are used to. Horses are usually amazingly calm in storms, as long as they are in their familiar stalls.
Lay flat and weight any objects in the barn likely to be picked up by the wind should a door become unsecured, and remove all objects near windows. Glass windows should be covered with a piece of nailed-on plywood.
Sedate horses that are likely to be jumpy and put PLENTY of feed and water in the stalls - and if you can at all avoid going in the stalls during the storm DO SO - do NOT go into the stalls with the horses while the worst of the storm is happening. Even the gentlest horse can jump suddenly and hurt you. Staying outside the stalls and talking quietly to the horses may help to keep them calm, but more than likely, they'll see any change in your routine as suspicious and cause tension in them - you're usually better off in the house anyway, and keeping everything as true-to-routine as possible.
Tie down everything that could move, and secure all loose items outdoors.
Write your cell phone number and name on each horse's blankets with indelible pen in great big letters - and hang onto your butts.
When the worst of the wind is over, be sure to remove blankets and bandages so the horses will not get overheated.
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