We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the
drugs began to take hold. I remember "xena"
saying something like:

Never heard of that, but makes sense. One of the horses in the same field
as mine many years ago was killed by lightning. Apparently it hit his ear,
went through his heart and to ground through his shod feet. Poor boy

Not just that, there've been many cattle killed by nearby strikes when
the ground potential between their front legs was enough to cause a
current to flow, stopping the heart. I'd assume horses would be
similarly sensitive.
--

Dave