Don’t bother counting. If you can hear thunder or see lightning, you and/or your horse can be struck by lightning. | Photo: Thinkstock

Let’s just jump to the bottom line: If you hear thunder you (and your horse) can be struck by lightning. Summer is the long-awaited horseback riding, horse event, and trail riding season.

Summer is also peak season for lightning strikes in the U.S., although lightning can occur year-round. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), an estimated 25 million lightning strikes occur in the U.S. every year.

Human deaths due to lightning are well-documented. According to NOAA, from 2006 to 2014, 287 people were killed by lightning in the U.S. Statistics on lightning-related deaths of horses are not maintained. However, after just one April 2015 thunderstorm in Central Kentucky, three horses from one farm and two cattle from another farm were killed by lightning