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Nebraska rancher brings horses inside her home during 'hell' blizzard to keep them warm

By Chris Williams
Published  January 20, 2024 1:31pm CST
Pets and Animals
Fox TV Stations

Nebraska rancher brings horses inside her home to keep them warm from blizzard

Kelly Rowley said she thought of the idea after seeing her two horses trying to brave the brutal snow storm.

NIOBRARA, Neb. -
A "hell" blizzard forced a Nebraska rancher to do something a bit unusual with her horses. She took them inside her home, so they could stay warm. 

Kelly Rowley of Niobrara owns two horses: Rip, a three-year-old stallion, and Diamond, a 19-year-old mare. 

"I only got this hair brain idea because I had just worried myself to pieces the night before, brainstorming for ways I could help them!" she told FOX Television Stations. 

Rowley said during the snowstorm, she saw her horses trying to cope with the brutal weather conditions. 

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"They were blanketed, but constantly moving and fighting the elements, rumps toward the wind, taildtucked, dancing around, heads down," she added. "It was so heartbreaking all night!"

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A Nebraska rancher brought her horses inside her home during a blizzard to keep them warm.  (Kelly Rowley)

The next day, Rowley continued to brainstorm how to keep her horses warm, including taking them to her aunt's farm.  She also became concerned her horses weren't eating or drinking enough during the snowstorm. 

That's when she thought of bringing them inside her home while the outdoor barn remained under construction. 

"I went inside, made the dining room into a big stall….by taking the table, chairs, plants, the pictures off the walls and chucking it all in the living room, threw up the dog gate," she continued. 

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She said her horses agreed to come inside her home. 

"They were coming in the house to melt, dry off and rest a little bit, ever so calmly and snotty," she added. "They were perfect angels in there, didn’t even move a bit after I got them where exactly I wanted them, they just parked and drooped."

After about an hour and a half, the horses became dry and started to get a little playful, so Rowley said she let her horses outside again. 

She mentioned the horses did have a" couple of accidents" inside the home, but she had boot trays underneath them to avoid a mess. 

This story was reported from Los Angeles.