You’ve probably heard the bangs already, it’s that awful time of year again for horses.

Fireworks night seems to get longer and longer every year, going on for days in some places. It’s not just in November either, there are fireworks for the New Year and many people have fireworks on their birthdays, weddings and other celebrations.

Horses can get spooked easily, they are a flight animal and will want to gallop to safety, so what can you do to keep your horse calm?

Keep to a normal routine

Don’t do anything that you wouldn’t normally do because your horse will pick up on it. If your horse is usually turned out then keep it that way as long as there aren’t any firework displays nearby.

Check the stable

If your horse is normally stabled then double-check that the stable is safe and nothing could harm your horse if he got spooked.
If you have a radio in the stable then leave some calming music on.

Tell your neighbours

Local people may not know that there are horses close by so make up a leaflet alerting them to how horses are easily scared by fireworks and distribute it. Due to lockdown, more people could be holding firework displays at home and it might be a first time for them so it’s wise to alert them.
Neighbours may then think twice before letting any off.

Chat with local farmers

Organisers of planned events in rural areas should always let local farmers know so it might be good to have a chat with them. Due to Covid19, all organised firework displays should be cancelled.

Don’t ride your horse

This should be obvious but don’t ride your horse if you know it is easily spooked by fireworks. It only needs someone to let off fireworks before night falls for an accident to happen.

Stay with your horse

If you’re not sure how your horse will react and you’re concerned then stay with your horse. One word of advice though is to protect yourself first. Do not get in the way of your horse if he spooks as you may get injured.

If you want more information then check out this great infographic on The British Horse Society website