lightening strike?

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tractor

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Hey all....just wondering if anyone has ever had anything to do with a horse that's been struck by lightening?

Here's the story....16.2hh 14yo heavyweight hunter was found dead last wednesday pm. He was checked at 8am, all fine. By 3pm, he was dead, no scrabble marks (ie if he'd had a heart attack) and no obvious injuries. The weather was a bit naff, really localised storms so I'm wondering if he could have been hit by lightening. He was out in the open, alone, and by the time we found him, his head and neck were really bloated-when the huntsman picked him up, his flesh was green.

sorry this is a bit grim, but I'm curious! I just googled it, and it said the bloat was possibly related to lightening strike...anyone help??

Thanks!!
 
Oh dear, how sad
frown.gif
I don't know the answer to your question, but wondered, was he rugged? As I have heard the metal buckles on rugs can attract a strike - don't know if there's any truth in it, so just interested in your case.
 
He was unrugged and had no headcollar on. No shoes either.

Tis a mystery! He was a lovely kind boy, I'm just glad he's had a few weeks out playing with all his mates before he went.

RIP Austin x
 
Not heard of a horse but my parents had about 20 sheep struck by lightening a few years ago. They were under a tree and the lightening must have gone through the roots of the tree. They all had scorch marks on them and some were thrown quite a distance, one even had its windpipe blown out. It was very horrific and must have been a huge strike. Not sure it would affect a horse in the same way.
 
I had one drop down dead of an anurism (horses don't have heart attacks in the same way that a human does... Horses don't have blood clots that break off in the veins/arteries. The vein sort of de-la\minates, fills with blood and then bursts.!) there was no scrabbling or lathering with my lad, and I would have seen because the ground was soft.

It does not take long for a horses carcas to bloat and fill. If the head and neck are the lowest point, ie, not pointed up hill, then they will fill within an hour or so.

I have known a few horses zapped by lightning. There are scorch marks and other signs that they have been zapped. Also I noticed a funny smell, ozone and singed hair!

Sad when they drop down dead. However, mercifuly no one was riding it, it wasn't in a stable and it was like someone throwing a switch. Not many horses have the luxury of dropping down dead. Tiz the best way for them to go.
 
Well it does happen, it happened to my pony's sire. As he was one of the stallions who ran the forest, he would have been just as nature intended, not shod, rugged or wearing a headcollar.
 
Lost two locally last year to a lightening strike, they were in a field up the road, I woke up as there was a huge thunderclap overhead but in the morning I found out that the YO had gone out and found a grim scene, they had been stood near their fileld shelter and a wire fence, the lightening struck the shelter causing extensive damage and jumped across to the fence where it travelled along to the horses who were shod, one was thrown across the field the other was found by the fence both were dead and one had a burn entrance wound where the charge went though it, both were killed instantly.

No PM carried out so apart from the small burn wound there was nothing.

Not very nice but I fear nothing can be done to protect against this type of thing, only thing that will really tell you is a PM.
 
Yes! My friends horse was killed by lightening. I went to the field to get him and my own horse in minutes after a storm and he was dead.
There wasn't a mark on him or the ground - except for the fact that he had bitten his lip, which the vet said was a sign of electricution.

The vet thought it was unusual that he didnt have burn marks or his shoes hadn't been blown off though ....
 
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