Lightning Safety
Wednesday July 23, 2008
Quite a few years ago I was riding in a competitive trail ride when a thunderstorm blew up. We were out on trail with no shelter nearby. Many people who are close to lightning strikes report a strange smell and I never believed that until I experienced it that day. The deafening crack of thunder spooked both myself and my horse. Knowing that sitting up on a steel shod horse made me a great lightning rod was rather un-nerving.
If possible you shouldn't ride during thunderstorms. But if the unavoidable happens your About Guide to Sports Medicine, Elizabeth Quinn, offers advice for Lightning Safety. And Safe Horse Riding in a Storm from Petcaretips.net has good advice about horses and storms.
Comments
I never really thought about lightning as a danger when riding as I have never been out riding when a storm has hit close- lucky I suppose. This is a great article with a link to some very useful information, whether you ride horses or you are out enjoying some other pursuit. I will ass a message to our equestrian portal (www.equiportal.co.uk) to help raise awareness during what is the peak time for storms, this information could potentially save lives.
www.EquiPortal.co.uk