Should I put my horse in the barn during a thunderstorm?

How to handle your horse during a storm is a judgement call that you’ll need to make based on the available facilities and your horse’s personality.

In many parts of the country, late afternoon thunderstorms are a regular feature of summer. You may be tempted to pull your horse into the barn as the skies darken, but is that really necessary?

The risk of a horse being hit by lightning in a field is low. The chances that he’ll be injured by falling tree limbs or other debris are equally slim, particularly if you’ve maintained the trees on your property and they are healthy.

A horse standing in a field with a storm brewing in the background
When a storm approaches, you’ll need to make decisions about the safest place for your horse, based on his personality

The bigger risk is that a horse will hurt himself due to erratic behavior in response to the storm. If he regularly lives outdoors and has never seemed to be bothered by foul weather, there’s no need to bring him in. He may even enjoy a good downpour. If, however, he’s the anxious sort and/or has history of injuring himself when under stress, you may want to bring him in.

To learn more about lightning risks, click here!

How to handle your horse during a storm is a judgement call that you’ll need to make based on the available facilities and your horse’s personality. If your barn is structurally sound and the horse doesn’t mind confinement, a stall—perhaps with a good friend next door for reassurance—might be the safest place for him. If your horse tends to get agitated while cooped up in a stall and is likely to react badly to a loud storm, consider putting him in a small, secure paddock or even an indoor arena.

Do not scold or try to soothe an anxious horse during a storm, you could end up making him more upset or reinforcing the unwanted behavior. Instead, make sure he’s safe and let him ride out the bad weather himself. After a few good experiences he may learn that thunder isn’t anything to get worked up over.

Don’t miss out! With the free weekly EQUUS newsletter, you’ll get the latest horse health information delivered right to your in basket! If you’re not already receiving the EQUUS newsletter, click here to sign up. It’s *free*!

CATEGORIES

TAGS

SHARE THIS STORY

Related Posts

edit 2
Antibiotics & your horse: What you should know
Gray horse head in profile on EQ Extra 89 cover
What we’ve learned about PPID
COVER EQ_EXTRA-VOL88
Do right by your retired horse
COVER EQ_EXTRA-VOL87
Tame your horse’s anxiety

NEWSLETTER

"*" indicates required fields

Name*
Country*

Additional Offers

Additional Offers
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.