Hurricane Isabel hit the Virginia coast with fury on Sept. 18. At its peak over the Atlantic, Isabel was a Category 5 hurricane (winds greater than 155 mph), sending coastal horse owners scrambling for safe shelter for themselves and their animals. When the storm hit land, it had faded to a Category 2 hurricane (winds from 96-110 mph and storm surges of six to eight feet), then dropped to a Category 1 (winds from 74-95 mph, accompanied by four- to five- foot storm surges). Winds were sustained at 50 mph, with gusts of up to 100 mph, as it moved inland.

Colonial Downs Racetrack in New Kent, Va. (about an hour from the Atlantic coast), opened its stables to horse owners in areas threatened by the impending hurricane. More than 400 horses were sheltered at the facility, all of which had to have a current negative Coggins test and a health certificate to be admitted. Horses from the Naval Weapons Station, Portsmouth and Newport News (Va.) Police Departments, Hampton University, and those of numerous private citizens took refuge at Colonial Downs. The Virginia Horse Center in Lexington, Va., also served as a shelter for evacuated horses