An early morning earthquake on Sunday (Oct. 15) caused more than $74 million in damage to Hawaii buildings and roadways, but horses rode out the magnitude 6.6 rumble with no major catastrophes. According to several equine veterinarians on the islands, there were some momentarily displaced and panicked horses, but for the most part, all is well on Hawaii’s horse front.

According to the Associated Press, Sunday’s earthquake was the strongest to hit Hawaii in more than 20 years, but no human deaths or serious injuries were reported, and the damage was relatively scattered. The quake hit near Hawaii’s Big Island, which spans about 4,000 square miles, most of which is undeveloped or used for agriculture. A Federal Emergency Management Agency team began surveying the damage Tuesday.

Patrick D’Angelo, DVM, a member of the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP), lives in Honalo, which is just south of Kailua-Kona and 10-15 miles south of the earthquake’s epicenter. He co-owns Horseplay Equestrian Center, a boarding and riding facility where he also hospitalizes some of his patients. “It was pretty exciting for awhile,” he says of the quake, “The animals all panicked like you’d expect them to. Several went through some fences and got some contusions and abrasions. Not much in the way of emergencies after, so it seems most everyone fared okay.

“One horse (a hospitalized ranch horse that wasn’t used to being stabled) ripped a big heavy stall door off and carried it 20-30 feet down the aisle way,” he adds. “He wasn’t any worse than he was before the earthquake