Lightning Question

[Blameitonbrio]

Our recent thunderstorms had me searching for a thread that I thought was on our forum regarding horses being killed by lightning. But I can't find such a thread. Can anyone point me toward it? if it is there?

Last night, we had lightning hit a huge red oak, pop the electric fence insulator that we had attached to the tree, run along the fence and shatter our fence charger on its way to the grounding rod. Parts of the fence charger were found 30 feet from where it was hung! (I will get pictures of it tomorrow.) So, as you can see, I am a little nervous about lightning now (well, I already have phobia of it, but last night didn't help!). You can see a streak running down the oak tree and it stops where the insulator was since it chose the less resistant fence on which to continue its journey. I am wondering what would have happened to our horses who were stalled 30-60 feet away from the tree if the strike had continued to the ground instead of running along the fence.

[Bonnie M]

Were they standing under a tree? I'm not sure but I don't think lightning can just travel through the ground unless it has something like the tree roots for it to travel in.

Friends of mine lost two of their mares last year from lightning, really sad. They had raised them both. I have another friend who lost a horse a number of years ago and this horse was in the barn. The lightning came through the stall window and got him.

[Blameitonbrio]

No they were in their stalls not to far from the tree -- 30-60 feet away. I was worried because I thought I remembered a thread (which I cannot find now) that discussed how far lightning can travel on the ground. That mades sense about the tree roots though. I am sorry about your friends horses; that must have been a terrible shock for them to find their horses dead after a storm.

[CarolU]

It might seem to make sense but it isn't true..well, it might travel through tree roots, but it travels through ground just fine, and actually comes up from the ground also. Wet ground, high mineral content, etc. all contribute to it.

The thread was about 14 horses that died in a low area of an open field. I think the articles said it could travel...40 feet rings a bell. It will take that path of least resistence.

You have good reason to worry, horses are very susceptable to lightning. Make sure your barn is grounded. I think an electrician can evaluate your property for lightning protection and you can put protection on your barn, house, or a tall pole and so 'direct' the lightning in certain places. It isn't cheap though.

[Terry Wallace]

It can travel over 70 feet...and needs only wet ground to do so. The lightning struck horses were about 20 miles from my house.

Search "lightning" and you will get much more info. Lightning takes a lot of livestock both in Colorado and New Mexico...miles of pasture, livestock in the open...many times up against a fence (wire fence) and it takes out all the animals that were touching each other as they gathered in a herd, and stood on the wet ground.

I thought New Mexico had "bad lightning"...but that was BEFORE I moved here! In Colorado...you get 3 or 4 strikes, in HUGE bolts, very, very close to each other....

The best thing you can do...is keep horses inside in DRY conditions. They only have to be on wet ground to suffer a strike... Problem is...lots of horses don't LIKE to be inside during intense, noisey storms... mine run around like idiots...playing in the rain...with a very big barn a mere 100 yards away...wide open for their comfort! ;-)

[paintedhorizon]

I'm just glad everyone was okay!

[stella]

My next door neighbor lost 2 horses to lightning while they were in a turnout shed, wood with a metal(steel) roof....I think because they were WEARING SHOES(also steel). Made me decide to stick with the chintzier tin for shed roofs, I think its not as good a conductor as steel!

Lightning usually hits a high spot, although I'd imagine the lower spots make for wetter ground, but it makes me wonder if some of the horses that got hit in the low spot, werent also wearing shoes.

[Blameitonbrio]

Well, I can feel good they were in their dry stalls then. And they are all barefooted too. We have so many big oaks that we are going to draw strikes. We will take some more down for more barn siding later this year, and of course, the one that got struck is our next siding candidate!

I guess I should turn the fence off before a storm too,; maybe that will lessen the chances of a strike.