06/17/2026
Based on the frequent severe weather/tornado activity recently, horse owners take note!
This post might make you chuckle here and there but have a plan for you farm animals and most importantly keep yourself and family safe first.
Hope everyone stays safe!
From Hodson:
Severe Thunderstorm & Tornado Preparation for Horse Owners
It’s that time of year again… or week it seems!
The weather app is threatening violence.
The sky is turning colors it probably shouldn’t.
Your phone is making noises you’ve never heard before for the 100th time this year…
And your horse is standing in the middle of the pasture wondering why everyone is being so dramatic.
So let’s talk storm preparation.
Before the Storm
✔️ Check fences and gates.
Because if a panel was going to fail, it will absolutely choose the middle of a thunderstorm to do it.
✔️ Secure loose objects.
Wheelbarrows.
Buckets.
Jumps.
Tarps.
Lawn furniture.
If it can fly, assume Mother Nature has already put it on her departure schedule.
✔️ Make sure trailers are fueled and accessible.
Not buried behind six months of “I’ll put that away later.”
✔️ Have halters and lead ropes ready.
Do not wait until the tornado warning is issued to discover every halter on the property has mysteriously vanished into the same dimension as missing socks.
✔️ Have current photos of your horses.
Because “he’s a bay gelding” narrows it down to approximately half the horses in the Midwest.
✔️ Make sure horses have identification.
Breakaway halter.
Mane tag.
Livestock marker.
Something.
Because “that’s definitely my horse” isn’t a legal form of identification.
⸻
Should Horses Be Stalled or Turned Out?
The answer everyone hates:
It depends.
There is no perfect answer.
If there was, horse people would have argued about it on Facebook 10,000 times already and settled it years ago.
Turnout
Pros:
• Horse can move away from danger.
• Less risk of being trapped in a damaged structure.
• Some horses stay calmer.
Cons:
• Debris.
• Fence damage.
• Your horse may decide this is the perfect opportunity to demonstrate Olympic-level athletic ability you’ve never seen before.
Stalled
Pros:
• Some protection from hail and debris.
• Easier to locate afterward.
Cons:
• Structural damage.
• Fire.
• Entrapment.
Every farm is different.
Every horse is different.
Every storm is different.
Unfortunately horses rarely read emergency preparedness manuals.
⸻
During a Tornado Warning
⚠️ This is the important part.
Do NOT risk your life trying to catch a panicked horse.
I know.
Trust me.
I’ve met horse people.
You’d willingly run through fire, lightning, floodwater, and an active volcano for your horse.
Your horse, meanwhile, has chosen this exact moment to become a feral mustang with trust issues.
The same horse that follows you around the pasture every day suddenly becomes:
“Sorry, I don’t know you.”
“Never seen that halter before.”
“Personal space, please.”
If a tornado is imminent:
• Seek shelter immediately.
• Protect yourself and your family.
• Do not remain in the barn.
Barns are wonderful for storing horses.
They are terrible for storing humans during tornadoes.
⸻
After the Storm
Before turning horses loose:
✔️ Check for downed power lines.
✔️ Check for nails and roofing debris.
✔️ Check fences.
✔️ Check for tree limbs.
✔️ Check for damage.
Then check every horse carefully.
Cuts.
Punctures.
Swelling.
Eye injuries.
Lameness.
Just because your horse is eating doesn’t mean they’re fine.
Most horse owners know a horse can have one foot hanging off and still be demanding dinner.
⸻
Final Thoughts
The best tornado plan is the one made before the weather gets ugly.
Not when the sirens are going off.
Not when your spouse is yelling.
Not when your horse is galloping laps around the pasture like they’re training for the Kentucky Derby.
Not when you’re trying to remember where you put the trailer keys “somewhere safe.”
Take 15 minutes today and make a plan.
Because when severe weather hits, the goal is not perfection.
The goal is making good decisions before panic takes over.
And remember:
You can’t help your horse if you become a victim yourself. Protect yourself first so you can be there for them afterward.
Besides, if you get hurt doing something heroic, your horse will probably be standing in the pasture five minutes later acting like none of this involved them in the first place.
Sincerely,
Dr. Kate
Hodson Veterinary Services LLC is an equine mobile veterinary clinic.
