Thursday, July 30, 2009

How would a horse react in an earthquake?

Can they sense it beforehand? would it be better to lead them or ride them?
Answers:
I have horses, they have been in a 6.5 earthquake, leading them would be the best if you have to move them. However, they are very frightened, the earth is shaking, they do not understand, horses are a fight or flight creature, and fleeing is usually their first option, horses may be more sensative to vibrations than we are. I will feel minor eq's if I am sitting still. You do not know it if you are moving. During an eq your horse will try to run, If they are in pasture.the eq will be all over before you can go an get a halter on them. If you are riding and a large eq happens you will probably be dumped.
Best luck and continue riding, EQ's should not be a major concern that keeps you from riding. Safety first and take care of you and your horse. In a 6.5 you will not be running, you will find it best to find a safe place to sit down away from trees building, powerlines and wait it out. EQ's are very powerful and buildings do collapse.
LET the horse find cover.THEy will know when danger comes.
good question...I have no clue.
Niether. Get the heck out of its way. Animals can and sometimes do sense an earthquake, but there is no garauntee that your horse will. There is a low frequency audio wave that signals an earthquake, but if the quake is close enough, by the time the horse hears it, the quake will have begun. And the horse will most likely freak out. If it's in the barn when this happens, you run the risk of having the building collapse on you during the quake. So, do what the rest of us do. Curl up in a ball and pray that it's over quickly. And you might want to add a little prayer for your horse's safety, too.
There have been arguements over whether animals can sense earthquakes or not, but personally I imagine that they do.
In the case of an earthquake, I would never ride a horse through it. They would be out of their minds by the time the quake hit, and you wouldn't be able to control them because they'd be in their own la-la land trying to figure out how to flee.
I probably wouldn't lead them either. I imagine my horse would be crazy and not paying attention to what he was doing, and he'd plow right over me without a second thought.
I'd probably just leave them alone and let them fend for themselves. Sounds cruel, but it seems it would only be hazardous were I to mess with them at that time.
I grew up in southern Ca. I have been out on the trail when one hit. My horses just stood there until it was over. %26 Yes I really think they sense it, my horse stopped befor the earthquake hit. Then when it was over my horse snorted stood there for about a min , then we went on riding. It was kinda crazy at first!

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