Horses + Fireworks =.........

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EquiEquestrian556

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How do your horses cope with fireworks? I've put the radio on full blast next to the stable block for three of ours, the other two are fine with the noise. My little angel was at first a little nervous and jittery, but the 'song' that's on has 'bangs' and 'pops' in it so she's got used to it.


How do you and your horses/ ponies cope with these terribly 'scary' fireworks?.....
 
my older mare stands quivering at back of stable.... tried everything she just hates them, my youngster doesn't care....foods too important to worry about loud noises.... she lifts her head up now and again for a little look then carries on munching
 
The Section A goes bouncing about all excited in her "Oooh yes, scare me again" mode whilst all the others stand and watch either her or the fireworks. I haven't been out to check tonight yet but I'm guessing even the Section A is bored by now, we've had them round here for a week now.

I've found that the owners get far more wound up about what effect it's going to have on the horses than the horses actually are.
 
mine are all out happily grazing and there's a big display nearby. They really don't care at all! Sat watching them for a bit as all the bangs went off, but at most my youngster sniffed the air a bit and carried on eating. However, that traffic cone In the school earlier... that's something to be terrified of !
 
New horse (had him a few months) is jumpy but takes one look at the other lot just eating their dinner and hay and tries to settle down. Hopefully he will take note that eating is much more important than jumping at those flashy bangs things.
 
My little one was freaking out as they were REALLY close, trying to rear out her stable door, we've closed her top door and turned the lights off and put the radio on, so she now thinks some people are outside talking.
 
I rode both my horses in the (outdoor) arena at about 8pm tonight when there was fireworks exploding in the sky. Everyone on the yard thought I was mentally unstable and couldn't believe it but I guess I am just lucky to have 2 calm and sensible horses. My horses are 5 and 15. :)
 
First year at our new place - horses all have perfect view of the fireworks down below at the bottom of the hill in town.

It was a bad day to get stuck late at work, put it that way. Millie, who is usually bomb proof was wired and sweaty. Evidence of Armas doing hand stands & wheelies in the field. Kira was the calmest of the lot, and I reckon she's had the most sheltered life, so go figure!
 
Hoof_Prints said:
mine are all out happily grazing and there's a big display nearby. They really don't care at all! Sat watching them for a bit as all the bangs went off, but at most my youngster sniffed the air a bit and carried on eating. However, that traffic cone In the school earlier... that's something to be terrified of !
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Ditto this! All ours are OK in field happily watching ww3 take place next door yet me painting one board of fence a different colour required twenty mins of running up to with a snort and the scarper, go figure!
 
The firery youngster doesn't seem bothered by them at all and is still out in the field with a group of broodmares and foals and they have all been fine with no signs of sweating or having been charging round. My 16yr old has been really wound up and stressed by them and hasn't settled at all and has been box walking him self in to a complete lather and frenzied wreck so he's been having a hefty dose of acp nightly in his tea and tonight as i knew it was going to be bad hes had a snuggy hood head put on with a big wad of cotton wool in his ears, his light left on and his top door shut. There's been fireworks going off for at least 2-3 wks now and tonight we've had them non stop for 4hrs some of them right above us. I'm hoping they will stop soon so I can go and check what state hes in.
 
They seem to have died down now and she seems settled, nibbling a bit at her net and listening to the talking on the radio. We're only in a very small village, so I guess not as bad as it is for horses in or near towns. I her some NAF Magic in her feed this evening, but she was too nervous to eat it properly. Fingers crossed they've finished, so that they can all 'go and get some sleep' tonight, me included.
 
My daughter was in the school riding when aload were going off and pony wasn't taking a blind bit of notice!! She is a competition pony I suppose so used to lots going on. And my dog is deaf so he was strolling round and didn't have a clue!!
 
I hate bonfire night because we get fireworks for the week leading up to it and the week after - despite being rural the sound really travels from the villages either side of us, and last year there were some in the next field which completely freaked the horses and were just awful - dogs first bonfire night too, poor things!
Little Welshie is a dude and isn't scared of anything, jumps at the louder ones, but then who doesn't ? Our tb x is a nervous wreck and will stand in the stable shaking and sweating until they finish. Mad mare will go nuts out in the field when they start but oddly seems to calm when you manage to get her inside, quieter bangs are ok as she's fairly used to shooting in the woods nearby, but the squealy ones really frighten her - they have Classic FM cranked up quite loud which helps. Fingers crossed dogs seem to be a bit calmer with them this year, but of course we haven't had the weekend parties yet so we have that to look forward to.
 
Echo Bravo said:
When you find out the answer could you tell us dog owners, because they mostly panic.
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Our whippets have been hiding under the sofa cushions for most of the week whilst the pointers ( both seasoned gun dogs) keep running into the garden to look for the pheasant that surely must come with the bang?
 
My 27yro didn't care (they live out 24/7) munched on his hay and just watched them with me resting my arm on him. The 8yo was extremely jumpy and trotting around at first but calmed down after about 10mins and started relaxing enough to munch some hay while it was finishing. Dog was shut in the living room with TV turned up.
 
Put it this way - I'm very glad my horse is dead. I actually chose the day to have her PTS based on a. the weather forecast and b. I wanted her away before either of us had to endue another 3 weeks of fireworks. She was so terrified even ones going off half a mile away made her panic. I got a new cat this year, by wonderful coincidence she had the same name as my horse, so of course I had to have her (although I did change her name a little) and yep, she has the same reaction as her orange namesake. Poor creature hasn't set foot outside for nearly a week now, and spent Bonfire Night hiding under the spare bed in complete misery. ANd there are more events due tomorrow locally too :(
 
I had a lovely ride in the moonlight cantering around watching fireworks the other night. Mine all love them - they like to be out watching them so they can see what is making the noise.
 
My horses have always been pretty chilled about the whole thing apart from current mare. She is very noise sensitive. Got herself in a right state this year, to the extent I might well sedate her for the evening next year.
 
Horse is so use to them, and as yard is not really too close to any housing areas or playing fields they aren't usally too close anyway. She just eats.. and eats... and eats a bit more.

Am I the only one whose use to have a dog that would try and chase them? The neighbours at the bottom of our garden use to have them every year. As soon as they started if he was outside he would be trying to get through the huge bushes/trees to them. Saying that, he use to also get through to try and chase their pet rabbits... It took many failed attempts at different types of fencing to keep him away!

ETA- For those that have horses who really worry, does anyone every try horsey ear plugs?
 
All depends on the horse, I've shot rifles off the back of horses and been in a military unit that used horses in contact situations. Most would simply put their heads down and graze with bullets flying around totally unconcerned - a few would take to the hills.
 
There's a huge organised display right next to my field every year. The fireworks are set off less than 20yds from the fence, and the ponies stand roughly 100yards away and watch. These are the really loud commercial variety, set off 20 or 30 at a time, with bangs that could shatter windows. Every year people have to take their young kids away crying because they're too much. The ponies group together slightly, but aren't overly bothered.
 
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