Thunderbolts and lightning

[DabDab]

Woke up a 2am to thunder clattering all around and a disco lights effect outside from the lightning.... Thoughts jumped straight to the horses and thought "no, I'm sure they'll be fine, don't be a woos"

Flipped out of bed and looked out of the window to see the paddocks lit up by a lightning bolt striking them :eek3: "OK, scrap that, I'm getting them in". Threw clothes on as OH woke up, realised what I was doing and jumped out of bed after me. Horses came running when I called, but Dabs and Arty were a bit upset and confused by it all. Three attempts at getting a headcollar on Arts and I gave up as she worked herself into a stress, reversing at high speed and spinning in circles (this is not like her at all, she's a sensitive thing but not generally silly). Put a headcollar on Pebbles (thank god for the native keeping it together) and my OH led her out the gate with the other two tailing.

Quick call to work to check they had shut the machines down and retreated inside.

I am struggling to remember the last storm like this. There was a flash of lightning at least every minute, and the thunder was deafening. Its still rumbling on now but does seem to have moved away a bit.

Anyone else?

 

[Auslander]

Pretty spectacular here - although not as noisy as I was expecting! The geldings are next to the house, so I peered out the window, to find them standing in the middle of the field, bums to the rain, looking completely unbothered by the storm.

 

[npage123]

The storm passed our area very slowly. We had the most spectacular lightning show, with clear lines of lightning bolts appearing randomly every now and then, and the whole sky lit up every 2 or 3 seconds. The rumbling wasn't that loud at all, like hearing a motorway from afar and it never really became louder at any point. Just a few drops of rain.

I felt sorry for the people who got the full brunt of the storm!

 

[TGM]

We had one of the biggest, loudest, longest thunderstorms here with continuous lightning, here last night! Not only were all the horses out, but my daughter was on a flight into London at the time, which was a bit of a worry! Thankfully plane landed safely but had to be diverted to another airport. Didn't bother trying to get the horses in, as to bring them in would mean leading them through a higher and more exposed area, so putting them and me more at risk of being hit by lightning. If I know in advance that there will a bad storm I will have them in, but if they are out when a storm starts that's where they stay!

 

[gingernut81]

We have had rain but no storm in Torquay! I am slightly disappointed to be honest.

 

[TheresaW]

We had nothing here in Notts. My phone is saying rain and storms from lunchtime, so shall see.

 

[webble]

Nothing on the wirral but it is forecast for later. Could do with it to clear the air

 

[mandyroberts]

Spectacular lightning but thunder didn't match. Have gone out to retrieve horses before but strangely storms don't seem to bother them so mine stayed out last night

 

[DabDab]

Spectacular lightning but thunder didn't match. Have gone out to retrieve horses before but strangely storms don't seem to bother them so mine stayed out last night

Yes, mine neither usually... Only yesterday evening there was a ridiculously loud fireworks display by us and they don't bat an eyelid at stuff like that, so I was a bit surprised to find Arty in such a tizz I have to say

TGM - yes I bet that must've been a worry! I saw some pictures of the lightning over London last night when I got back in. Spectacular images, but quite the storm

 

[Clodagh]

DabDab - you are quite mad! You could have been hit. Are the horses shod?

 

[millikins]

The storm passed our area very slowly. We had the most spectacular lightning show, with clear lines of lightning bolts appearing randomly every now and then, and the whole sky lit up every 2 or 3 seconds. The rumbling wasn't that loud at all, like hearing a motorway from afar and it never really became louder at any point. Just a few drops of rain.

I felt sorry for the people who got the full brunt of the storm!

This is what it was like here. 10-15 miles away at Kew they had 1/2 " rain in an hour!

 

[DabDab]

DabDab - you are quite mad! You could have been hit. Are the horses shod?

No, no shoes, just some metal clips on a fly rug on one of them. I was mainly concerned because of the metal gate in almost the middle of their field that we left behind when taking some fencing down that divided the field. They like to stand by that gate and while instinct keeps them from going underneath the trees in a storm, last night they were all stood huddled around the lone metal gate instead :rolleyes3:

 

[milliepops]

Scary. Thunder & lightning here now... mine are in the field but they are on low ground relative to the area so I reckon they are just getting a power shower will go and rescue them shortly

ugh, edit.. the live lightning map has it moving closer. I hate lightning.

 

[Casey76]

We have regular thunderstorms (our geography makes them very common), and we never get the horses in. Most of the time they rarely even look up from grazing

 

[TheOldTrout]

Apparently we had a mega storm here at about 1 am but I slept through it all!

 

[HappyHollyDays]

Fantastic light show here last night which started just after midnight with thunder to match. Both horses were out, wasn't worried about DP at all but B is on restricted turnout and I was worried he might hurt himself. Needn't have worried, they were both fine.

 

[Pinkvboots]

The storm went on for good few hours here loads of lightening so after the first rumble I ran out and got mine in before the rain started, they were quite happy to come in they ran over as soon as they saw me, I am glad I got them in when I did the rain was torrential my wheel barrow was almost half full of water this morning.

 

[Gift Horse]

The flashes and rumbles started here a few minutes ago so I came indoors.
Our house phone line got struck by lighting last year. We were driving home and saw it strike, the ferocity was scary. Fortunately it only blew the phone socket to bits off the wall, and pierced a radiator pipe on it’s way to earth.

 

[Ladyinred]

Many years ago when we had a fierce storm I was leading in a tiny show pony, with her first (priceless) foal running free with us. I went one side of a massive puddle and pony went the other. Believe it or not, lightning struck the puddle between us. Never in my life been so scared. Very sadly it seemed the foal got some degree of shock as she went blind, instantly, and had to be PTS later that day.

 

[scats]

I was out hacking the Diva this evening and saw lightening in the distance... then the thunder started. Fortunately we were headed back before it really started.

 

[DabDab]

Many years ago when we had a fierce storm I was leading in a tiny show pony, with her first (priceless) foal running free with us. I went one side of a massive puddle and pony went the other. Believe it or not, lightning struck the puddle between us. Never in my life been so scared. Very sadly it seemed the foal got some degree of shock as she went blind, instantly, and had to be PTS later that day.

Oh that's so sad, what a freak thing to happen, I guess the only mercy was that it didn't directly hit any of you

 

[rascal]

Had no internet or tv all afternoon. The the porch is flooded, not sure if it came through the window or around the door, not a happy bunny. We had a storm in the night, and an even worse one this afternoon.

 

[Lammy]

Flash floods here, glad I decided last minute to keep the horses in, it was quite a storm!