# this may sound weird



## Phantomcolt18 (Sep 25, 2007)

i know this may sound weird but im watching the movie Twister and it got me thinking. What do you guys that live out in areas where tornados are common do with your horses when a tornado strikes? Do you let them loose, or just like leave them in the pasture. because i know they have that instinct to run.


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## minihorse927 (Aug 11, 2008)

well, it kinda depends on where it is at, my pature and barn are in line with each other so if it came down to it and it was heading for my barn, I would try to turn them loose. If it was on the ground but not heading for my barn but there was debris flying around, I would try to get them into the barn, as they would hopefully have less chance of being hit by something in the air. Southern Ohio is not like out in the geat plains where they have 5 million (exagerrated) a day, but we get out fair share here.


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## Phantomcolt18 (Sep 25, 2007)

but what if the tornado changed course after you had the horses in the barn and headed toward you?


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## KANSAS_TWISTER (Feb 23, 2007)

i am 51 miles away from greensburg kansas, and yes in tornado alley...(the crew from storm chasers are often in my area in the spring time), don't get me wrong but i'm a mother of 3, first off i love my horses....but they can be replaced...my kid's can't....my horses are in a large fencing system on our farm with a run in and if need they can jump a fence for cover if not found in our field.....each horse has there halter on at all times in tornato season with there name and phone number on a tag either for indentafication of either a live or dead horse by those who finds it.....between the time a tornado spotter spots a tornado to the time the sirens go off it can take up to a minute to gather up the kids and run downs stairs. i did it 4 times last year only to surface to find the horses ok.
here is a pic of star sporting his tag on his halter


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## kickshaw (May 7, 2008)

horse insurance says to keep them in. 

at the YMCA, we would always turn them out - They didn't stay gone long...just enough to weather the storm ;-)


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## Phantomcolt18 (Sep 25, 2007)

KANSAS_TWISTER said:


> don't get me wrong but i'm a mother of 3, first off i love my horses....but they can be replaced...my kid's can't


this is true. Aren't you scared though when a tornado strikes? i know it's probably a dumb question. And yes absolutely the kids come first. And yes i know horses can be replaced but to tell you the truth idk what i would do without my boy he LITERALLY saved my life(him and God) and if i lost him i don't know what i would do i mean i know they all go eventually and nothing lives forever but i wouldn't want it to be so sudden like that(am i weird for even saying this?). But another question (this is probably dumb too) why would you live in tornado alley? Im not trying to be rude. and when you leave the horses out(probably another dumb question sorry) but are you ever scared that you may loose them all and may never find them or wonder what they are doing? Sorry about the questions i am just really curious.


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## Phantomcolt18 (Sep 25, 2007)

also have you ever lost a horse to a tornado(sorry again)


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## KANSAS_TWISTER (Feb 23, 2007)

lol...no problem at all....ok where to start...why do i live in tornado ally??? took a wrong turn off the 401!!! ...all joking a side...i moved from monteal que to here to be with my husband. horses have a great instinct to save them self's in tornado's ( i don't think a horse lost it's life the 2007 greenburg tornado)....the closest tornado hit to us was not even half a mile down the raod...(june 2005 9 tornado's hit meade county area).

my horse's will often stand out in the rain and watch the storms rolling in, they'll even turn directions to find out where the siren is comming from.... but yes i love my horses , i put too much time in to them and training but when it come's to torado and my kids.....my kids come first


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## Eagle eye 1 (Nov 27, 2008)

I agree, that the children need to come first and that a horse can be replaced. The way I look at it is that if I am outside trying to save a horse and get hurt or worse, who will take care of my horses and my children?

What dod horse naturally do in a storm? Do that take any precautions? Do they get low to the ground or anything like that? I have never had the oppertunity to witness that - thank god.


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## Phantomcolt18 (Sep 25, 2007)

wow tornadoes must be really scary. what goes through your mind when you here the siren go off. Horses aside?


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## county (Nov 29, 2008)

I leave mine out in the pastures with 30 some head putting them in isn't practical anyway


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## Appyt (Oct 14, 2007)

I live in South Central Kansas and I haven't had to take cover in 2 years. I have friends in SC, GA, PA, MA, who have been under Tornado Warnings and had damage nearby. So, the term Tornado Alley doesn't mean much to me really. I've lived here my whole life and personally cannot imagine living where Hurricanes and Earthquakes are common.  It's all in what you are accustomed to. 

I don't put horses in and I don't go looking for them. I consider them safer out. When the siren's go off(or the weatherman says get down) there really isn't time to worry about them. Few tornados stay on the ground for very long, those that do can be monster storms with multiple tornados spawning from large one. Those are the ones that make the news.. Like the Greensburg tornado and the one that flattened a large trailer park plus in Andover a few years back. That one traveled many miles.


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## Fancy Girl Haflinger (Jan 7, 2009)

Well actually our barn came really close to getting hit by a tornado i was not there at the tim but i think you should let them loose. But i really do not know


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## kershkova (Jun 25, 2008)

I live in PA so we don`t really have tornados some times we have small ones in our area. and plus i would not be abill to do any thing with my horse an less i was riding cause i live 30 minites away.


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## minihorse927 (Aug 11, 2008)

Phantomcolt18 said:


> but what if the tornado changed course after you had the horses in the barn and headed toward you?


I can't stop nature, so if something like this would happen, pray it never does, but if it would happen there would be nothing really to do as it would be better to try and save myself than try and save all the horses. If I save the horses and I end up injured or dead from the tornado, then no one here is going to take care of my horses as everyone else believes they are money costing hay burners, which they may be, but I still love them and spend all my hard earned money on them! If it is their time to go and it has to be that way, then so be it. I just do not want to have to watch as it destroys my barns with my horses inside.


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## StormyBlues (Dec 31, 2008)

*This is the one reason I am scared of tornados. I leave my horses be. We havn't been hit by a sever one is a few years, well they have come close to us, but never hit us. What goes trough my mind, Get the dogs, get my brothers and get in my closet with my laptop. We can get internet and weather on it and we have never been in shelter for over 30 minutes. I hope I never lose a horse like that, but if it is God's will, so be it. I will greeve and mourn, and no horse can ever be replaced, but everything is God's will.*


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## ShowJumpLife (Jan 17, 2009)

we dont really get tornados but we get huge storms, had one on my brithday last year, woke up at 6am to the wind beating on the roof, windows shaking, very very hard rain and hail etc, power was out so went down to the car to turn the radio on, weather warnings etc saying do not go outside stay at home rah rah rah.

woke mum up and said we have to go check on the horses now, and we did. couldnt leave them indoors as by the time we got there half the roof had flown off etc so we chose the highest up paddock with no trees etc to put them in, put about 10 covers on them and let them out.


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## Miss Katie (Dec 30, 2007)

My friend was in Cyclone Larry, and they took the horses rugs off. Apparently its dangerous to have them on


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## SaddleUp158 (Dec 26, 2008)

Phantomcolt18 said:


> wow tornadoes must be really scary. what goes through your mind when you here the siren go off. Horses aside?


Ooh, lets go outside and see what the sky looks like! I wonder if we can see the tornado?! lol, I know this is bad, but it is oh so true! 

As for the horses, they are about 15 mins across town, so typically they are left wherever they were when we were out there last. Tornado season is in the spring and fall so they are outside more during the day and up at night. We have had tornadoes come down the drive at the barn and pull up a tree and drop it on the fence and against the trailer. Knock on wood, that is the worst bit of damage we have had from one!


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