So in my experience, horses match explosions with their own explosions. One of those happened in of all places the Kentucky Horse Park back in the early 1990’s. It was sometime in the summer of that year. I was there with my always explosive thoroughbred jumper as his groom to compete in the Saturday night Grand Prix held at the time in the Park’s covered arena. His young rider, in her early 20’s, would go on to fame and fortune, Olympic medals and countless triumphs in the years to come.
My horse went early in the order, was clear in the first round and we were sent back to his stall to await the jump off.
Earlier that day I was out on the Park’s grass racetrack on another horse, I noticed at the terraced space for trackside seating that a setup was being created. I asked one of the workers. Turns out they were setting up for an outdoor concert that night.
I wanted to go. But I was busy.
Flash forward to me and the horse back at his stall waiting for the jump off. In the distance I could hear the orchestra play their way through their pop repertoire for almost an hour, my horse quietly munching away on hay. There was applause as the penultimate piece concluded. And then, the unmistakable opening strains of the most popular pop of all, Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture.
Holy… really people?
At that exact moment it was time to tack up and head back down to the arena for the jump off. It was a really dark moonless night as I started down toward the indoor, past the paddocks that were home to several retired racing stars among them the leading money winner at that time, John Henry. My horse knew the drill and was already performing airs above the ground as the dreaded finale began with variations on the theme of the La Marseillaise to be followed by yes, you’re correct, cannonades. In this case accompanied by FIREWORKS!
John Henry took off running like a scared rabbit. My horse was up on his hind led dangling me below with a tenuous grasp on his lead rope attached to his bit in an excellent reproduction of a circus liberty horse. The fireworks and cannonades continued, John Henry was doing zoomies and somehow the horse and I got back to the arena.
Well, that’s the end of that, I thought. My horse was first to go in the jump off, and his usual hotness was now piping. My young rider, already a genius at her trade. managed a few warmup jumps, headed into the ring and laid down the winning trip.
I spent the following day, Sunday driving the 8 hours back home contemplating the events of the night before marveling at the achievement of my horse and his rider in the face of all that chaos determined to call the Park and address the fireworks issue. Which I did first thing Monday morning. It was the first time the Park manager had heard about it. I focused on my concern for John Henry. The manager was polite. said he’d look into it. Never heard about fireworks in the Park ever again.
There were fireworks one year at pony finals, but that’s another story
What a mega-excellent story. We want MORE.
I finally smartened up at Lake Placid and managed to get ear stuffies in my more sensitive charges in time for the fireworks but spent many a night over the years pulling horses off of the stall walls there. What those poor creatures must have thought.
The neighbor has a shooting range beside me (he was here before I bought the farm 30 years ago). It is very well made --tall bunkers on all three sides, maybe 30 feet high dirt. Needless to say, my horses are used to boom-boom-boom. What totally causes panic in my herd is the shadow of a hot air balloon chasing them across the field . . .
At least on the 4th I can prepare for them. It’s the random ones - like the one very close and very loud BOOM - last night just as I was walking horses in that really get me 
But as for preparing - if I give trazadone, did I read that right that it will test for 90 days?? I am just trying to get everyone through the holiday weekend alive (myself included). Meanwhile USEF is implementing hair testing because jerks are turning their horses into science experiements.
Remind me of the trazadone dosage for horses, as my neighbor is going to be lighting them off right outside the pasture to the south.
He has cattle and calves right there, but screw them, right?
I’ll never understand fireworks, personally.
I’m glad my horses are very boom proof. Oil well next door is on a generator that backfires every time it rains. We also routinely get low flying planes (military and crop dusters) and helicopters (water rescue training at the nearby lake).
My hackney pony is fine with alfalfa to occupy his mind - no drugs needed.
New horse is getting some trazodone to take the edge off.
Dosage depends on how zoned out you want and how they react. I’m just trying to take the edge off so I’m doing 300 mg AM and PM, you can dose higher as needed.
Stall rest horse I had was on 1000mg 2x a day. I still had to give ace to handwalk. 
Sasha lives outside 24/7 in a fairly rural area… I’m guessing fireworks will be abundant 
Hopefully there’s no issues… she’s an “alert” horse but fairly level headed about spooky things.
Over the winter, my stall rest mare was on 1650 mg (11 150 mg tablets) 2x/day, and I still needed to ace her too when I got on her to tack walk. She was hunter fat at the time (16.3 hh and 1290 lb, actual scale weight.)
Right now she’s on 750 mg 2x/day, which is basically as low as my vet thinks is useful; it’s his opinion that might as well stop if we go any lower. She’s okay without it now as long as nothing happens, but it does take the edge off if she’s surprised by something. And she’s not quite as fat anymore.
Is this the Nutsoid neighbor?
If not, can you ask the stuff be directed away from your pasture. Maybe cite the drought in our area?
My pastures aren’t lush & what’s been grazed down is getting pretty dry.
If it’s Nutso, probably won’t fly 
I had a Whacko across-the-road neighbor who came over to tell me she was worried motorcycles on the road were scaring my horses.
I pointed out they could (& did) go to the part of the field farthest from the road.
That 4th she & slightly less Whacko husband had themselves a little boomfest.
Next morning I found used bottle rockets in my pasture that faced their house.
I suppose it didn’t occur to them those whistling firesticks might scare cycle-proof horses?
Or start the dry grass on fire? 
Stoopid is really irreparable 
Not nutso, it’s the neighbor behind who has a bunch of Angus heifers and calves, and a couple of goats. What could go wrong, when his round bale feeder is right there as well?
Dollars to doughnuts I’ll end up with firework shrapnel in the pasture. My pasture doesn’t look dry at the moment, the lawn on the other hand is a crunchy mess. We’re trying to burn a stump out of a tree we cut down, and I pulled the plug on it for the foreseeable future.
If the wind is prevailing from the south, I am screwed and will be on standby with fire extinguishers and the hose.
Edit: that said, other than doing something like this every year, he is super nice. I can deal. I will just kvetch some.
Feel free to kvetch up a storm!
I’m happy the very nice family with teen boys just across from me moved.
Their “celebration” included M80s, what sounded & felt like quartersticks & went on until midnight.
We have had a few of the big ones go off a short time ago. Thankfully it was a bit down the street from me. Immediate neighbors on three sides have lit off some small ones so far, so we are in for a not so fun night for sure once it gets dark. Hopefully they will light them all off tonight and not every night for the next two weeks like they did in other years.
Fenwick hoods are on. Hopefully they help. At least the horses don’t run usually, they just stand like statues, very tense.
Mine run when the Nextdoor neighbors set theirs off. Since the debris falls in my fields, I put them in stalls for the night. I have a shed row so I close top and bottom doors to muffle the sounds and give them the good alfalfa to help ease the tummies.
Drugs don’t work well for me, they just blow right through it and then I can’t even give hay to keep them occupied.
Well, the Boom Boom Night has started….
Just checked on everyone. No lights can be seen, so it’s just another night of booms.
Booms and lights have been going since 8:45 pm here and still going.
I hear some in the distance. Usually the fireworks are not close up but my good neighbors sold out and the ammosexuals that bought the place are an unknown factor. But after the mega rifle firing range shootouts last fall I think the horses are pretty used to loud noises. And the backfiring four wheelers and motorcycles racing up and down the road. I doubt the people up the road are close enough to fire into the pasture and I have wooded acreage separating my pasture from those people. And the people next door - nothing! No worries about fire this year - everything is green and wet and it rained again this afternoon.
I spent many a holiday when I boarded, sitting in a lawn chair babysitting horses. So glad I have not had to do that again. I did have one New Years Eve when the people up the street were firing bullets into the air until 3 AM at 15 minute intervals. I called the police even though I don’t know if it was illegal out here or not. They never did it again. My cats are used to listening to gun fire, so fireworks do not bother them. I love my 15 acre wooded wildlife preserve buffer zone. Neighbors are better when you can’t see them.
How is Theo taking it?
My 3 were walking the drylot, came to me for the expected cookies & were calmly hanging outside when I left them.
Thankfully, though the idiots are violating the Not After 10 law, the fireworks are mostly not nearby.
Hoping all COTHers & their horses make it through tonight safely 
Theo is pacing and but doing ok. I closed his stall up so muffled a lot of the sound, but neighbors have the big ole booms so it was still traumatic.
My goats always suffer the most. They scream bloody murder.
I think the Fenwicks helped. I also put loose hay, with a piece of alfalfa for each, a long the fence line with the neighbor horses, and also a piece for each inside. Their hay nets were where they usually are, a long another fence line. When it was still light enough to see, they were both eating although my gelding would freeze every time he heard a boom. Not sure how they were after dark. The fireworks here were the worst since 2020. This am the look a bit shell shocked but are eating fine, and most of their loose hay is gone.
eta, I may try putting earplugs in tonight. I have never used them before so I am hesitant to try them when I am not out there. For the record, the Fenwicks looked fine this am despite the horses having rolled. I was afraid they would rub them and get them over their eyes.
