| With summertime coming, one's thoughts | | | | If you don't put your heels together, |
| carelessly leap to the idea of trekking | | | | lightning could go through your heart and |
| across wild terrain with not a soul for | | | | possibly kill you. |
| miles, except for the beautiful beast beneath | | | | |
| you. | | | | Once the storm has moved on and you have a 50 |
| | | | second gap between lighting strikes and |
| But like hikers and golfers, when the black | | | | hearing the thunder, you can mount up and get |
| clouds start to roll in, and distant thunder | | | | under way again. |
| is heard, the prudent horseback rider must | | | | |
| take into account his or her safety, and that | | | | If high winds are part of the storm as well, |
| of their horse, when this situation arises. | | | | once again get to the lower reaches of the |
| More riders are killed in local thunderstorms | | | | landscape. Get behind rocks or large |
| than in hurricanes or tornados. If you are | | | | boulders, but not trees. Get inside a sturdy |
| planning a ride always keep an eye out for | | | | building if at all possible. |
| local weather forecasts. | | | | |
| | | | Another danger could well be a heavy hail |
| As long as you are aware of the dangers, | | | | storm. Once again seek lower land levels, but |
| there are many things you can do to lessen | | | | also try and find overhead shelter. If there |
| the risk to the pair of you when caught out | | | | is no shelter, dismount, and lead your horse. |
| in the wilds in an electrical storm. Don't | | | | If you can, find a clump of bushes, not |
| forget, the danger is not just of dangerous | | | | trees, and try to manoeuvre your way in the |
| lighting strikes, but of flash floods, and | | | | bushes, pulling your horse in with you. Leave |
| even hail storms. Do not think that lighting | | | | the horse's saddle on and if you have |
| is only apparent at the eye of the storm - if | | | | anything else to hand, try to cover the |
| you are within 10 miles of it, lighting | | | | horse's head. Also, try and get your horse to |
| strikes can still occur. If there is a time | | | | lower his head. Just as horses do, turn your |
| lag of less than 50 seconds between seeing | | | | back to the storm, keeping your hat on. |
| lighting and hearing thunder, you are | | | | |
| probably in the danger zone. But beware of | | | | Don't forget also the danger of sudden rising |
| particularly violent storms - there may be so | | | | water. Keep well away from gullies or |
| many strikes it's difficult to know which | | | | depressions in the ground that lead from |
| flash is associated with which peal of | | | | uphill. These could soon fill up with fast |
| thunder. | | | | moving water in the event of a flash flood. |
| | | | Once again, stop and dismount, as lots of |
| If you are caught in the open and there is | | | | accidents happen when riders keep going in |
| lighting, get off the high point of the | | | | the rain and poor visibility. Ground current |
| terrain as quick as you can, but do not go | | | | is one reason horses and cattle are |
| into stream beds or low lying areas - that is | | | | especially susceptible to lightning strikes. |
| tempting fate from other directions. The | | | | Because they are four-footed, livestock are |
| lower reaches of sloping land or rolling | | | | killed by "step voltage," which occurs when |
| hills is probably the best to get to. | | | | lightning's ground current radiates out from |
| Dismount, and tie your horse to a low bush, | | | | a struck object. While ground current only |
| but do not tether him to a tree or fence, | | | | affects the feet and legs of a standing |
| especially one with metal components. Move | | | | person, it is a common cause of death among |
| about 40 or 50 feet away, in case he is | | | | horses and cattle whose vital organs are in |
| startled. Don't lie down, but squat down, | | | | the current path. If you are at an outdoor |
| balancing on your feet. Lightning safety | | | | event when a storm comes up, and there is no |
| experts have invented a "lightning crouch" | | | | building cover, get your horse back in his |
| that is very important to know about if you | | | | trailer and close the ramp. Make sure that |
| are caught in a thunder storm and you can't | | | | any safety chains are not connecting with the |
| find a shelter. If you think that this | | | | ground - they could conduct a strike up to |
| position looks hard to do, you are right. It | | | | your trailer, and its contents. You should |
| is. So practice it until you can stay in it | | | | get in the towing vehicle, making sure that |
| for several minutes, because it could save | | | | once again nothing such as cables, ropes, |
| your life. There are several reasons for | | | | chairs, chains, are touching the ground. |
| doing the lightning crouch. Remember, | | | | |
| lightning usually hits the tallest thing | | | | Once again, remember that the prudent rider, |
| around and this is one time that you don't | | | | even if they are not worried about their own |
| want to be tall. Remember that it is not safe | | | | safety, should consider their horse's life, |
| to lie flat on the ground. With your heels | | | | and be especially careful in these sorts of |
| together, if lightning hits the ground, | | | | conditions. |
| electricity goes through the closest foot, up | | | | |
| to your heel and then transfers to the other | | | | If in doubt - stay at home. |
| heel and then goes back to the ground again. | | | | |