What do you do on bonfire night? ?

[teddypops]

Fireworks seem much noisier now. Which is a problem. Silent ones would be ok. My horses live out. Thunder and lightening no problem. But the more recent loud displays cause distress to me and the horses.

They definitely are, I was woken up by some the other night that were so loud, I actually thought there had been a proper explosion. I hate them.

 

[ILuvCowparsely]

What is everyone’s routine for bonfire night?
do you take horses in early?
Leave them out?
Put radios on?
Keep normal routine?
Anyone so rural they have no fireworks about?
What do you do to try and help dogs cats etc?

My oldies and field mates have never been fussed about fireworks thankfully. I usually keep my normal routine and just take them in when suits. Don’t know what new girl will think but hopefully if she’s anxious, the oldies not reacting will reassure her.
we have a lot of shooting and goose bangers going on around us over winter so I’m not sure if they have helped desensitise them (even though i hate the shooting, I guess I may have to admit they might’ve helped ?)



hopefully will get all the cats in and leave the tv on for them.

Staying in as normal

Leaving mine in, worming them with red worm, praying my mare doesn't have another panic attack from bloody fireworks.

 

[southerncomfort]

Not too bad here so far. Doesn't look like either of my neighbours are bothering.

Their is another field above us that has a bonfire going and the odd firework but it's far enough away that ponies aren't bothered. Bo was a bit mesmerised by the fire so I moved the fence down near the field shelter where he can't see it and they are all grazing calmly.

Various displays going on in the valley below us but the bangs aren't too bad.

Happy to leave them out for the moment.

I strongly suspect that the weekend will be a lot worse.

 

[Errin Paddywack]

I don't worry too much about the horses or the sheep but my dogs are a different matter. The young one is in her crate and covered over but the older one is in a terrible state. The only thing that helps is to get her favourite toy and play fetch with her. Her eyes are popping out and her tongue is distinctly purplish. She has had calming tablets with her tea and just been given a diazepam tablet. Hope it kicks in soon. We have a long night ahead of us. They are currently going off just over the road from us

 

[paddy555]

I don't worry too much about the horses or the sheep but my dogs are a different matter. The young one is in her crate and covered over but the older one is in a terrible state. The only thing that helps is to get her favourite toy and play fetch with her. Her eyes are popping out and her tongue is distinctly purplish. She has had calming tablets with her tea and just been given a diazepam tablet. Hope it kicks in soon. We have a long night ahead of us. They are currently going off just over the road from us

hope she is OK. I hate fireworks.


Our horses are in with Meatloaf full blast in the stables and OH is babysitting them. It seems he will stay out there indefinitely if I keep providing coffee with a very generous measure of scotch in it.

I am babysitting the dog along with the TV and I tunes.

I expect tomorrow will be worse.

 

[spotty_pony]

I’ve just been out to check mine after the display in the village as it was quite loud! They are in approx 10 acres tonight so finding them was tricky ? but they were both happily munching at the bottom of the field. Hopefully there won’t be many more round here tonight now as it’s a small village. It does help that my boy has grown up hearing them year on year as there has always been local displays close to where he has been kept. They have both also been kept near a clay pigeon shooting range and used to hear the banging every other Sunday all morning! He is usually stabled but I really don’t think he is stressed out. Was lovely and toasty and munching the grass.

 

[SO1]

Diwali was awful yesterday. I am having to do in hand walking of my box rested horse whilst fireworks going off.

Yesterday he started rolling and then bucking in his stable but was fine for his in hand walking. I think maybe coming out of his stable and seeing everything calmed him down along with a treat of some dry hay, he normally on soaked.

Today is bad but not as bad as yesterday. By tomorrow I expect they will be used to it.

He is used to fireworks but it still alarming for then.

 

[Auslander]

I've been up and down a few times this evening, but so far so good. Dished out a few treats to the ones who came over - but most of them were out in the field either grazing, or watching the show!

 

[MuddyMonster]

Mine stays in his normal routine - he was quite happily watching the display when I came to bring him in!

 

[TwyfordM]

Madams not bothered, but she’s been on several yards that have had displays super close, so I guess she’s used to it now.
Normal routine, in and up mucking out while large local display going on. She could not care less...

 

[AdorableAlice]

We are just home and had a few problems. Although rural, as the crow flies we are not far from towns and the local rugby club had a big display, they are lower than us but the noise certainly carried. The two mares got very upset but the geldings were fine (all stabled), lights on and radio on. Ted held Alice's hand but she still got very hot and bothered.

My injured cob hated it so I stuffed her ears with cotton wool and put a hat on her. As you can see it went very well......!!

A video has just appeared on facebook, from a neighbouring village, which is truly awful. Neighbours had set fireworks off directly over the yard.

 

[ILuvCowparsely]

Not too many in the end, it is Saturday I am dreading when all the organised ones go off.

 

[Chappie]

We seem to have luckily got away relatively lightly here this year, which I am so relieved about, but still bearing in mind we have Sat/Sun to get through yet. Although it is set to be super-windy so hopefully that will put them off...
Really feel for those of you who've had a bad evening.
AdorableAlice thats awful about your neighbouring yard

 

[windand rain]

World war 3 at the otherside of the fence. Ponies don't care but would have been nice to be warned and yes they are breaking the law but no one will ever prosecute them

carrot is more interesting

 

[PJB]

One of our two horses isn't happy when fireworks go off nearby but is not too bad, the other is utterly terrified. The first year we had him (2019) he was a sweating, circling mess from the first bang. There weren't too many displays in our village but it was still horrible to watch. The thoughts of the damage he could have done to himself if he'd been out in a paddock doesn't bear thinking about. We tried lights on, closing the top door and even singing to them (!) but it made no difference.

To cut a long story short, by putting "soundproof" ear bonnets on underneath flymasks with ears, we have seen a massive reduction in the distress. The horse that was better about fireworks in the first place barely reacts at all now, the other is still a bit agitated but only by the very loudest bangs. If we felt it was necessary, we could put cottonwool in their ears too but we had thought they could find it irritating which might upset them. They are used to the flymasks so they don't try to shake them off and once it is clear there won't be any more flashes and bangs, we take the bonnets and masks off and they both instantly go back to scoffing hay.

This may not work for everyone but it occurred to me that it is something that could even help for horses out at grass. The flymasks must make a slight difference to the horse's vision too so even the sight of fireworks might be a little reduced and as they are designed for use outdoors, they are unlikely to cause a problem if the horse or pony is still upset.

 

[windand rain]

I would never stable a frightened horse on bonfire night they seem far more afraid of the noise if they cannot see whats happening I would prefer to put on a line and stand with them outside with perhaps a mild sedative so can see and hear that they cause no harm. Each to their own but when desensitising the horses to the shooting range and military thunderflashes they could run away but as the best food ie feeds and hay were closer they soon came back. I guess the risk is the terror is so ingrained they could bolt through fences and get hurt or killed. I hate fireworks they cause me serious anxiety so its a challenge to me not to transmit my fear

 

[PJB]

My husband and I debated long and hard about the merits of leaving them out or bringing them in but we decided that inside was safer - for both of ours. We left the top door open initially but it made no difference whether he could see the flashes, it was the sound that terrified him.

I do see your point but I'm not sure that horses would understand what was happening, whether they can see fireworks or not, and if the flight instinct triggered, they could do themselves more damage by bolting.

At the end of the day, it is a judgement call and it needs to be decided on a case by case basis. We feel it is right for our two and particularly with the solution of the bonnet/flymask combination.