BONFIRE NIGHT turnout or stable whats your thoughts

I leave my ponies out. We don't usually have any fireworks going off close by though. They can see lots in the distance but they don't bat an eyelid. I check them regular and they are fine. It really depends on how bothered your horse is. If he is going to gallop around the field I would get him in.
 
I get my 2 in, there is a big organised display which isn't too bad as its a mile or so away, but some of the houses round about have their own fireworks and these often land in the paddock so too risky to leave them out.
 
I have mine in but some of the liveries prefer to keep theirs out. We are in a small village next to a village hall which has a big display as well as some of the neighbours. Every year it seems the neighbours ones are getting louder
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At our old house we used to stable the horses and leave the lights and radio on, as our neighbour often set off fireworks - they were very considerate and always warned us and avoided the really loud ones.

Where we live now I would be happy to leave them out as are in the middle of no where and rarely see, let alone hear any.
 
We leave ours out but tend to stay at the yard until it all quietens down, just to make sure they are ok! It will be foalies first time this year but mum and the rest are all old hands and don't worry about it.
 
i believe distrubing horses routine is only going to upet them so i just cary on like its a normal day. if shes in i give her some toys to play with to distract her.
 
We have our own bonfire. The first year I asked people not to bring loud fireworks, but they did anyway. The horses were out one field away. I went racing into their field to check them, and I woke them up! There is a hotel just up the road that does weddings and fireworks, so they are used to them.

The second year, assuming that they were fine with the bonfire and fireworks, I left them in, and my mare was really uneasy when the fireworks off, pacing round. For the following years I have always turned them out for the night of our own bonfire, and they are fine. They seem to feel safer outside, knowing that they could escape if they needed to..

I agree, I don't like changing their routine for just one night, but I leave them in in the day until about 4pm, so that they are a bit fed up of being inside, and they are dying to get out, and it seems to be fine. I also up their rugs a level for the night.
 
In our urban multi-ethnic mix, my poor little dog is traumatised for weeks by many different religious celebrations that seem to go on all night. Guys, he needs to go out for a wee at some point....And I can't hear the telly through the barking/bangs
 
Last year had a bit of a disagreement with owners of my loan horse (they have land and stables at their house but not often home) who happened to be about over bonfire weekend and decided they wanted the horses in their stables with top doors done up - so basically in prison cells - whilst there was a risk of fireworks...

I'd prefer to leave them out, have ridden in eve when fireworks going off in distance and G didn't bat an eyelid. To be honest I'd prefer anything than shutting them up as extremely as the owners did last year!

*that said, horses came to no harm trapped away but still, I'd prefer them to continue staying out :)
 
We're well away from any fireworks but my guys are are in at night anyway .
In the past if my guys were near them they'd be in, a friends horse ran into a wire fence in a panic having freaked at fireworks, i personally feel that for my horses inside was the best choice for them
 
ponigurlami said:
bonfire can be scary but would you leave them turned out or would you stable them up??
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I'm actually quite in awe of horses that manage to remain calm when fireworks are going off a couple of hundred yards from them. The hotel next to the riding stables which I used to belong to in Wales sent fireworks off sometimes when there were horses stopping overnight but it never seemed to really cause that many problems, except on one occasion that I remember when there were foals, and youngstock, and stallions and mares galloping around loose everywhere when a show had booked a block of stables.

The woman that used to keep her horses at the hotel in Wales never minded her horses being subjected to the fireworks either, they were practically within spitting distance of them too.

I think I'd be inclined to leave them out, I think they'd do less harm to themselves out than in petrified and possibly trying to jump over the stable door.
 
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mine comes in at night anyway this time of year so keep to the usual routiine, but i have always got my horses in for bonfire night for my own peace of mind as i think they are safer. i think it is "know your horse" and we should do what suits each individual
 
Mine have normally been in at night by the time Guy Fawkes comes around. But this year I've got one on loan, and she'll probably be out, so will leave her to what's her normal routine basically.

All the horses I've ever had have coped with fireworks, basically just treated it like they would thunder and lightening!!!!

But hey ........ if I did have a horse with an issue, I think I'd be trying to sort it out and doing some sort of de-sensitisation prior to bonfire night. For example, every time I drive past where the horses' field is, I toot my hooter at them, sometimes just a toot other times a real old finger on the button tooting rant job!!! So that if we're out hacking and some loon hoots as us, OR we're going round a corner and someone inadvertently hoots, neddies aren't gonna behave like fruitloops coz they've dealt with it all before. Same with other noises/spooks - a bit of time spookbusting at home can and does pay dividends.

(But will someone please tell my dog????!!!!), bless her. Though we've used the DAP plug-in things and yes they DO work. (Reminder to self to get another one coz will need it within the next few days).
 
We are less than half a mile from Flambards Theme Park and they hold a fireworks evening every wednesday through August , so our lot are pretty used to it , they held their big show-stopping ' do ' this evening as it's half term and i'm glad the boys are out as i think they would feel trapped if they were in , they live out 24/7 so they are in the comfort zone , having said that they are so used to merlin helicopters and hawk jets flying in low over them that i think they might actually be deaf! :rolleyes:
 
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I live near the top of a hill and see & hear fireworks from miles around. This is the view from my house across the paddock last bonfire night. You can just see the white blazes of my mare & then yearling who were not bothered.
Martha was more dis-chuffed at being fenced away from the neighbours as the year before she spent the evening leaning over the fence -with her foal at foot - scrounging jacket potatoes & hot dog rolls and her favourite (as they told me the next day) toffee apples.

They will be staying out in the top paddock again this year.
 
We don't have the option, as my horse and our two liveries are out 24/7, though they have access to barns.

I was really touched. I had put a bit in our village newsletter asking people who were having fireworks etc. to please tell their neighbours so that dogs, cats could be sedated and horses watched over. A lovely family live opposite. The husband is Indian and she is English. They are going to vcelebrate Diwali this weekend, and, having seen my snippet, came over to ask me which night would be most convenient for ME. I couldn't believe their thoughtfulness. As it happened, I can't be in on one night, so they instantly said "That's no problem. We'll have the party on the other night".

As we have loads of grass still, I'm strip grazing. So I will make sure that on party night the horses have a delicious, generous strip of new grass which, mercifully, is at the other end of our long pasture from where the party will be. Our neurotic foxhound X will be suitably tranquillized - and I will be taking over a basket of goodies for the children at the party. Could one have kinder neighbours?
 
Jasp stays out, had two horrid accidents with him being stabled on bonfire night, 1st year split his hock. 2nd year cut his throat open, last 2 years he's been out and has been fine, I'd rather him feel he can run, than feel he's trapped :)
 
I had always left my loan pony out (he lived out most of the time) and he was fine. Although the YO lived onsite so there was someone there who often checked the horses just to be sure anyway :)
 
Most will be in, some will be out. OH organises our yard bonfire party to coincide with the village display, so clients, vets, farriers etc are usually in attendance aplenty. Last year one of the horses became a little colicky, although I'm convinced it was more because there was a distressed and barking dog next to her stable, and our lovely vet had a look at her over the door once or twice and reassured me there was nothing to worry about. We leave the radios on in the two yards, the lights are on, and people are generally milling around with treats. My boy loves bonfire night - he gets fed!
 
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