advice re shooting please

debsflo

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my near neighbours have forewarned me they are clay pigeon shooting boxing day. i have 2 horses in the field adjoining theres. last time they did it on christmas day without telling me and i had a disressed horse 3 x days before i found out what the problem was. advice on best way to manage the horses, wont leave them out but should i go for long hack or do you think they would be ok stabled with radio to muffle gun shot and some hay. they will be able to hear as stables are at the bottom of garden that adjoins the field. any help or advice welcome as previously horse was beside herself as i was.
 
If they were upset last year in the field, I would definitely leave them in with lots of hay and the radio on. They might get a bit agitated, but will be safer inside than bombing about in the field. How are they with fireworks? The banks won't be any louder than the bangs on bombfire night.
At least this year, your neighbour has forewarned you.
 
We have a shoot, plus gas guns to scare the birds, and an army firing range nearby. The horses are used to things that go bang!

If your horses don't do bangs, stable them and turn the radio up. You can also get ear mufflers for horses that cut out noise... racing people use them!
 
We had to go past a field today where they were clay pigeon shooting whilst we were on a hack today. Some of the shots seemed so loud, it hurt my eardrums! However Jerry and Winnie were SO well behaved - they didn't even break into a trot, just jumped a little but not as much as we did! The guns did stop when they saw us which was a bit late.
Sorry to hijack your post for my self-indulgence!
I would leave them in - as we found out today, you don't have to be too far away before the noise level decreases. Plenty of hay and the radio on should keep them occupied.
 
Are they going to be shooting often or is it just an annual thing? Daisy has just moved to a yard with a pheasant shoot and it doesn't bother her in the slightest. MY OH goes clay pigeon shooting and we once went to a ground where we were less than 100m from a posh looking livery yard and their horses just weren't bothered. If its only going to be once a year then I'd do what people hae said and bring them in and turn the radio on. If its going to be more frequent though I'd try to come up with a desensitation plan as it is possible and it would be much easier than having to keep them stabled every time they shoot
 
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