Do Horses Race In Thunderstorms?

My son and I had planned to go out to the races last weekend, but our plans were hampered by bad weather.

It was raining and storming all weekend and we just didn’t even bother going in the end.

I hadn’t looked up if the races were still going ahead, but given the way things were, I thought it safe to assume they wouldn’t.

One evening, we were watching the TV as there was a booming thunderstorm raging outside, and my son asked if horses were ever able to race during thunderstorms.

I really wasn’t sure, so I decided to look into it.

So, do horses race in thunderstorms?

Typically, horses won’t race in thunderstorms. Horse owners are actually highly concerned about having their horses out during lightning or thunderstorms. Horses are sensitive to electricity and can be easily spooked by thunder, and a dozen spooked horses in a race is a big danger.

There are lots of reasons why horse races might have to be postponed because of bad weather, but thunderstorms, in general, are a good indication that the races will be canceled.

Indeed, the problem of horses in thunderstorms isn’t just one of whether or not a race will be canceled but also whether the horse itself is safer inside or outside.

So, let’s look at this from a few different angles.

Are horses okay in thunderstorms?

The first and most obvious thing to say is that part of the reason horse races are called off due to thunderstorms is the reactions of the horses.

Like almost any animal, horses generally have an adverse reaction to thunderstorms.

Thunderclaps can spook them considerably, as can lightning.

If they’re left inside, they’re better able to stay calm.

If they were trying to race under these conditions, there is a constant risk of injury or danger.

A spooked horse is a dangerous thing in the wrong circumstances.

Not always but, usually, thunderstorms are accompanied by a huge downpour of rain, and horses do not run well on wet land.

It’s quite easy to understand why this is the case, especially as the track becomes wet, muddy, and the chance of getting a hoof stuck on the ground or slipping on the surface is huge.

So, even if there’s no thunderstorm, if the rain is bad enough the race will still be called off.

Horses can easily injure themselves, and with racehorses, there’s a lot of money on the line.

So, every precaution is taken to make sure that they don’t hurt themselves.

Are horses better in or out in a storm?

The other question for all horse owners is whether it’s safer to leave your horse inside or outside during a storm.

The answer might seem obvious that you should always bring them in, but actually, many horse owners don’t bring their horses in during a storm.

If it’s just a mild thunderstorm, some horses don’t really mind, and they can just happily carry on grazing during the storm.

If the wind and rain are really bad, it’s always better to bring them in since this exposure can be harmful.

If you think about it, horses in the wild wouldn’t have anywhere to take shelter from a storm.

So, horses are essentially able to weather this kind of exposure.

That said, it can still be in your horse’s best interests to bring it in, as there could be any number of environmental hazards from a thunderstorm and certainly from a lightning storm.

There have been many reports of horses in their pastures being struck by lightning, and unfortunately, they do not always regain consciousness.

As I said, horses are quite sensitive to electricity in this way.

So, ultimately, the safest thing you can do is bring your horse in during a really bad storm, although most of the time they will actually be fine during storms.

Just be careful about the full extent of the storm you’re letting them weather.

How do you protect a horse from lightning?

Depending on the type of home your horse has, even this may not fully protect it from the worst of a lightning strike.

Some horse owners have reported that their horse was struck while inside the wooden barn, and suffered serious injuries as a result.

So, what else can be done to prevent this?

There are elaborate lightning protection systems you can have installed that will redirect lightning strikes away from your horses and make your pasture much safer.

Lightning rods connected to grounding rods in the ground just up out of your field and, made of highly conductive copper and aluminum, they catch lightning strikes and dissipate it away from your horses.

This is the best line of defense you can have against lightning strikes and, costly as they can be, if you live in an area frequented by lightning strikes, it’s a very safe and sensible decision to make to install lightning rods on your homestead.

Lightning storms are pretty scary, even for us.

Loud noises raining down out of the heavens as we’re drenched in heavy rain and bolts of brilliant lightning tear cracks through the sky.

Horses, understandably, are pretty spooked by thunderstorms too.

Getting them to perform well in a race in these conditions is nearly impossible, and the horses seriously injuring themselves or others during a race is a real concern.