So really, what is the answer.

We have had an unbelievable year for lightning strikes.  Yes it’s Florida.  Yes we’re the lightning capital of the world.  (This is such a great thing to be known for)  But how do you deal with it.

There are two schools of though.  Neither of which I can believe in.

One says – Put the horses in the barn.

The other one says – Leave them out.

Well I’ve seen horses killed in the barn and out of the barn.  It’s really a crap shoot.  Here we go, Russian Roulette.  Do you feel lucky today?

I was always told that if your horse had shoes on they’d be dead.  Two shoes, injured.  No shoes, okay.  Well that’s not the truth.  I’ve known horses with no shoes on, and they are as dead as the ones that did.

Do I have the answer to this?  Not at all.  I guess it’s all a matter of what you can do, and what you can live with.

Have you seen horses that have been hit by lightning directly or indirectly?  You don’t want to.  Some have the skin pull away and gas forms under the skin and the skin actually crackles.  They can be paralyzed on one side of the body.  It’s like a person who has had a stroke.  They can be perfectly fine on the outside and their internal organs and intestines can be cooked on the inside.  It’s just plain horrible.  You want to talk about the walking dead?

I’ve never seen this, but if they take a direct hit, their feet can blow off.

I can’t tell you how to handle a lightning situation with your horse.  I don’t know what to do with mine.  All I can tell you is that if they get hit, pray that they die instantly.