I let Chrome out to graze in the yard around seven or eight pm and then completely forgot about him.... at eleven thirty pm a storm started moving in. The wind was blowing so hard it slammed my screen door open and closed repeatedly (I can't latch it because it swelled and doesn't close all the way). We didn't know what the banging was at first and went outside to see. That's when we heard Chrome screaming at the top of his lungs.
I totally freaked out, ran inside to put boots on, grabbed a flashlight and my umbrella and ran outside. Chrome was standing by the pasture gate (I had closed it to keep the donkey and chickens out there because they are hard to put up after dark) neighing. He was extremely jumpy and bolted when he saw my umbrella and flashlight. I talked to him and he came back as I opened the pasture gate. He bolted into the pasture and galloped to the barn, but the noise freaked him (tin roof) out and he trotted back out.
After several times of him coming in and out of the barn I ran inside the barn (also to get out of the rain and lightning) to turn on the light and calm him down. I stayed in the aisle where I couldn't accidentally get run over, but I reached through the door to pet him on the nose. He spun around to stand just inside the barn, facing out, but with me talking to him he stayed inside (the donkey was already hiding inside because he hates getting wet). Chrome was very tense, all of his muscles balled up and he was even shivering although it wasn't cold.
I stayed with him until he stopped shaking and was calmer, but I left the light on for him when I went inside. I've never seen the weather bother him like that and I was totally freaked out thinking maybe he could hear a tornado or something like dogs do. I think it was because he was trapped out of the pasture away from the barn. The storm passed in ten minutes or so, but another one came through around 1:30am so I didn't get much sleep. He was totally fine and acting completely normal this morning. I hope I don't ever get stuck out on a trail ride when a storm comes through LOL!
P.S. Check out the contest over at Endurance Granny (LINK).
Maybe you need to get him a Thundershirt!
ReplyDeleteRanger doesn't like storms, and he will hide in the corner of his stall until it is over.
Poor guy, I'm sure those kinda storms are scary all alone in pasture. Glad you all weathered it well.
ReplyDeleteLOL Judi! Thundershirt for horses! Hehe. Chrome has never acted afraid of storms before, so I think it's because he was in the yard instead of in the pasture. Zep (the donkey) was in the pasture, but he was already hiding in the barn when I let Chrome back in so I don't know if he knew where he was. That could have been part of it. :)
ReplyDeletemaybe there was a lightening strike close by? we'll probably never know but glad that you were there to calm him down.
ReplyDeleteDickie is pretty brave but really likes to come in when it is stormy. Some days he would be calling to me before i got out of the car to bring him in. Big wuss
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