We had a horrible storm pass through about two hours ago. It came up really quickly and I was stranded at the barn with lightening popping all around. The wind was HORRIBLE. There was a tornado warning a little earlier, but I thought it had passed. I don't think there was a tornado close by, but probably what they call a "microburst" where you get almost hurricane-strength winds for a short period. I was trying a girth on Trausti and the wind though the barn hallway about knocked me over, so Trausti and I ducked into a stall until it was over. Just as we got into the stall, I saw a kayak go flying off the utility trailer and go sailing through the air - not a good sight. That kayak was ratcheted down pretty tight. This lasted for about 10-15 minutes, with a lesser storm lasting about 30 more.
When it was over, Cary took a bale of hay down to the pasture for the mamas and foals. Even normally super-friendly Hroi was about to jump out of his skin about 30-45 minutes after the storm was over. He's the bravest of the brave foals we've ever had. He's a month old now. He and Prinsessa definitely what I'd call terrorized by the storm, even though the adults were all settled by then. I'm sure he'll get over it quickly...but I'm darned happy that his scare wasn't related to anything a human had done to him. None of the horses were hurt, and they were basically all pretty calm about it all, but it just reminded me that babies are much more prone to being terrorized than adult horses, no matter what the cause. This was an "act of God" sort of thing, and I'm sure these foals will see more such during their lives, but at least they have a good solid trust in humans in their short lives. Karen Thomas, NC
