Horses and fireworks

[Weezer]

So yesterday was the first time my horses have experienced fireworks and it did not go well! My wonderful neighbors did tell me a day ahead that they were planning on setting off fireworks for Canada Day and they also let me know 1 hour before so I could round up my horses. Because my horses are rarely closed up in the barn I decided to leave them in the small paddock at the barn, with the exception of one horse who I knew would blast through the fencing - she was in a stall. The fireworks only lasted a few minutes and I stayed with the horses the whole time and tried to calm them. The mare who was in a stall could see the others but was so distressed about not being with them that I let her out just before it was all over. Because the others weren’t running I knew she’d stick around. After it was over I spent about an hour settling the horses and then realized that colic would be a concern - I never thought of that before! Everyone seems fine today but I am keeping a very close eye on them for signs of colic. The mare who was in the stall is a bit on edge still and I will have to spend some calm time with her in the stall for the next while so she gets back to seeing it as a safe place.

My neighbors on both side skeet shoot and do other really loud things so I thought the horses would be only mildly spooked but I think maybe the combination of the loud noise and the flashing in the sky was just too much for them.

I don’t ever want to see my horses in that level of distress again. So how do you manage these situations? Would you sedate all the horses prior to fireworks?

[splitrockfarmnc]

I have struggled with this since my horses came home a few years ago. My neighbors like to fire off big illegal screamers that go straight up with a massive explosion at the top, right over my main pasture. First year the horses were out and it was horrible, they ran hard and when I went out to try and settle them I was genuinely concerned that I might get run over. I managed to corral them into the dry lot and get them hosed down but it was a nightmare for all of us.

Last year the fireworks were a little more tame, and I left the horses in the dry lot from the start with big piles of alfalfa. They also got a tube of Quietex each. It probably didn’t do much for them but made me feel better. They still scooted around quite a bit but in the smaller area they couldn’t get up to speed and overall it was a much less stressful situation. Still not great but absolutely manageable.

I have debated sedation but in a way I would almost prefer that they have their full faculties. I have no idea what the neighbors are planning this year but regardless, my plan is to do the dry lot/Quietex/good hay thing again and hope for the best.
Good luck to you OP.

[QHEventer]

I’m sorry the fireworks upset your herd so much! There are several things you can do to minimize the stress for them.

• Earplugs to muffle the sound
• Keep them stalled with fans and a radio turned on to muffle sound, slow feed hay nets to
  occupy their minds
• Ride them all beforehand to wear them out a bit
• Administer Ace to any horses who you truly think need extra assistance
• Keep barn lights turned on to minimize the flashes of the fireworks

[Maythehorsebewithme]

If weather allows and horses are stalled, cover barn windows with black paper. We had an old OTTB mare who thought fireworks were telling her she still had one more race. We had to literally blackout her stall on the 4th of July–cover windows, cover some of the stall bars inside the bar. And earplugs. Had a fan in her stall, that she thought was OK.

[Janet]

I think the “vision” aspect of the fireworks is significant. My “boss mare” is very vigilant when the neighbors set off fireworks. Not a lot of running around, but she won’t eat her dinner.

I know I am anthropomorphizing, but it is as if she is thinking: “It is OK as long as they stay where they are, but if they get any closer I will have to do something”… The other horses basically follow her cue.

The last couple of years the neighbors’ fireworks have stayed below the treeline, and she was still alert, but much less concerned

[Weezer]

Thanks for the help, my COTH friends! My horses have been fine with fireworks a bit off in the distance in the past so I think the suggestion to put them all in the barn where they can’t see the fireworks is a great idea. I also think the earplugs and radio on is a great idea. I prefer to do all that rather than sedate because all the horses are old so sedation can present its own set of risks. There are sometimes fireworks around the August long weekend too so I’ll get this all organized in time for that, just in case.

[clanter]

ours will stand out eating hay to watch the local multiple city fireworks display … they never seem to mind the sounds. I guess they were conditioned by the high marching band practices that is also held nearby

[2DogsFarm]

Fireworks are legal here.
For a week before & a week after the holiday.
Supposed to stop at 10P, 11 on the 4th.
In the past, few adhere to the law & honestly it upsets me more than any horses I’ve had on the farm.
I HATE loud noises & the ones you can feel make me tense.

Surprisingly, this year has been relatively quiet.
I just came in from my PM barncheck & horses were far more interested in the dispensing of their bedtime treats than the noises & lights in the sky.
They are not stalled, have access to pasture & once they eat that last flake of hay, remain out grazing.

It occurred to me that they probably don’t differentiate fireworks from a horrific thunderstorm with lightning.
Wish I could relax myself for either!
But I content myself cussing & thinking about the idjits literally setting fire to their money. Fireworks are not cheap!

[Fiesta01]

Many years ago, the property where I boarded was owned by a non-horsey wealthy family. They leased the barns, rings and pastures to a BM.

The family always held a big family gathering the weekend before Jul 4. They hired the professional fireworks company who did the Pittsburgh City fireworks in Point State Park to come to their property. We’re talking serious fireworks.

First year there, BM assured me the horses would be fine, just restless. She always stalled them for the fireworks. My young OTTB mare went berserk. She was literally throwing herself against the walls of the stall for the 30 minutes of the show. There was nothing I could do as it would have been too dangerous to enter the stall. It was really horrible to see. She ended up with a very large, deep gash on a foreleg.

Before the next year, I had a serious talk with my vet. He gave me some Rompun, told me to take her out to the farthest pasture from the fireworks, close the gate and tranq her 15 minutes before the explosions would begin.

Every year after, my dear friend Leslie (also an experienced horse person) and I would take Dusty out to that pasture. One year, they shot off a “test” shot early, and Dusty started to freak. Luckily, Leslie was able to hold onto her and I managed to get the shot into her. The actual show started 20 minutes later, so Dusty was in dreamland by that time.

Of course, we used to be out there until midnight, waiting for the Rompun to wear off enough to take her back up to the barn. But for me and her, it was totally worth it. I was honestly afraid that if left in a stall like the first year, she was going to break a leg.

I’m afraid some horses just need a tranquilizer. The problem is that you won’t know which ones until after having, hopefully, survived the first time. Keeping my fingers crossed that you have a sensible bunch in your barn.

[sascha]

@Weezer

I don’t ever want to see my horses in that level of distress again. So how do you manage these situations? Would you sedate all the horses prior to fireworks?

Teach them all to be stalled for a few hours/overnight at a time. Make their interior home special with good hay and small feeds/snacks of their favourite treats.

Fwiw, the more we accustom our horses to weird things, I find the less they react to new weird things.

[PaddockWood]

This. To me it’s about exposure. If they are used to wierd, loud noises and get exposed on a regular basis they see in time that they’re OK. It certainly helps.

Going back 25 years, someone has a chainsaw going I’m like, let’s approach. Air compressor - yep let’s go up to it. On and on. My husband has a wood workshop going with big machines that make lots of noise. We go up - they’re brave - they get a stroke. I swear they begin to figure it out and you can see their confidence and bravery.

Now don’t get me wrong. A hot air balloon coming down - probably would lose it. But I’d love to train for that. It could save their life if we were able.

What noticed last night with LOTS of fireworks and gun fire along with the fireworks explosion of color was my horses just stood there looking like, “Hmmmm - interesting.”

[luvmyhackney]

We had lots of fireworks last night 2/3 were restless but otherwise not trying to kill themself. The third was a bit over the top with frantic circling and trying to self sooth.

We all survived, but tonight is going to be worse. I’m going to set up a louder speaker, push dinner time to when fireworks start, work the cheap out of them prior. Fingers crossed that’s enough.

I’m trying not to medicate, but will be treating for ulcers for all 3 for the month.

[wsmoak]

The 30 year old is not too bothered, but this is the first time for fireworks with the 3 year old pony at home. There were some fireworks last night and he ran and snorted a bit, but not too bad. They are in a dry lot with a run-in shed. I set up a portable flood light and that helped. At least I can see them and they can see the fences. I sat out there until it was over.

Tonight I will set up the flood lights before it gets dark. I hope it will make the overhead flashes less visible. The pony is very people oriented and being out there and talking to him seemed to help him calm down. Towards the end there was a lot of yawning and stress release and then he went back to eating.

[lenapesadie]

I’ve had the luck(?) of having multiple farms in close proximity to neighbors with much love for target shooting with big guns, air strips, fields worked by crop dusters, and once a facility that gave helicopter rides and parachute excursions. Wild lightning storms are common here as well. My homebred isn’t bothered much by fireworks and my new to me oldie seems only mildly agitated. Oldie is settling quickly, following homebred’s lead perhaps.

Fireworks are quite legal in my area, big ones too. Thankfully it’s been raining every day for some time so I’m not as worried about fire this year.

I hold no illusions that my horses would be as composed if the fireworks were a 360 viewing display for hours on end. When we lived at the beach (no horses at home then), the fireworks were over the top. Every corner of the sky would be lit up.

My dog on the other hand hates fireworks. I did sedate her when we lived at the beach. Otherwise it was boom bark boom bark all night long.

[luvmyhackney]

Borrowed my husbands golf speaker and playing some chill beach music, so far working like a charm. Even the wild child is napping. Didn’t finish his dinner :(, but I’ll take it. Fireworks started at 7 freakin pm. Not even remotely dark here.

[Texarkana]

I gave Abby, the partially blind nut job of a mare who is like a cat on her 9th life, a hefty dose of trazodone at dinner time. I was questioning my decision… then it got dark. For cripes sake, I live on hundreds of acres of farm land without a neighbor in sight, yet it feels like the fireworks are going to hit my house and barn they are so close! Every house in a five mile radius must be doing their own semi-professional display. Why?!?

[ladybugsbw]

I was just saying that they seem worse this year than ever!! Like a war zone here

[StormyDay]

I think it just takes time for them to get used to them. I also find it actually helps if neighbors farther away set some off in the days approaching because they get more used to the sound.
Tonight was 4th of July, directly across from the barn the neighbor has a huge professional display every year. My horses were locked in a small paddock area to prevent running. They stared and watched the fireworks, there was some snorting, but all is calm now. Immediately after the fireworks ended they begged for peppermints. Horses are amazingly resilient and I think they understand more around them than we give them credit for.

Every year I’m more concerned for the dogs and wildlife that don’t understand why the sky is exploding.

[Weezer]

Yes, I worry about the wild animals too. The poor birds in the barn were also freaking out.

[wsmoak]

MUCH worse last night but they finally got done around 11:30pm. I will be taking a nap today.

I stood out there for two hours holding the three year old’s leadrope over the fence. (I did not want to be in the paddock with the two of them, in case somebody lost their senses and bolted.)

All the groundwork pays off, he did a few figure 8’s but when he’d hit the ‘end’ of the rope (when the slack came out) he’d give to it and turn. He could easily have pushed through it with his shoulder and gotten away. He’s also very food oriented and I knew ‘head down and chewing’ was preferable so I pulled grass and fed him low through the fence. Even in the biggest explosions if he threw his head up I was able to get an ear flicked back towards me.

All is well this morning. Six months to go for the next time at New Year’s.