Horses & Fireworks: 12 top tips for keeping calm
Follow our horses and fireworks tips below to help keep your horse feeling safe on Bonfire Night.
Our useful suggestions will help you:
- Plan your approach to managing your horse with fireworks
- Prepare your horse in the lead-up to Bonfire Night
- Pick up horse-friendly firework distraction techniques
- Be safe & provide your horse with calm support on the night
Plan ahead
Check the dates of local fireworks displays. Speak to neighbours and your local council to find out when they’re happening in your area. Let them know that there are horses nearby and decide how you will manage their stress levels.
Feed a calming supplement. If you know that your horse gets anxious or has been upset previously by fireworks, try using a calming supplement like our Pure Calm and Compose regularly in the run-up to Bonfire Night and throughout firework season.
Prepare your horse for fireworks
Keep your horse in a familiar area. Horses like routine, so where possible try and keep them in an environment that they are used to, like their normal field or stable with their usual friends. This will help them to feel at ease.
- If you usually stable your horses at night keep them in
- If they are usually turned out, it is best to keep them out unless you have fireworks displays nearby
- Check your horses’ fields or stables – make sure they are safe and secure with no damaged fencing or potential sources of injury
Make sure they have other horses that they are used to nearby. Horses are herd animals so they naturally feel more relaxed in company.
Shine a light! You can also leave a light on in their stable to reduce the flashes of light from the fireworks.
How to distract your horse from fireworks
Try playing music. If your horse is stabled and used to you having the radio on, you could try playing music on the evening of the firework display to help blend in loud noises.
Use toys or treat balls. Keep your horse occupied with treats and accessories – our Pure Treats are perfect for use in treat balls and horses love them!
Ensure they have food. Make sure they have plenty of forage to eat.
Keep calm and carry on
Try and keep calm yourself! Our horses pick up on our emotions and behaviour, so keeping a level head will help your horses keep theirs.
Check in with your horses. As we all know, things can happen quickly so it is good to check your horses regularly during firework displays.
Consult your vet if you get concerned by your horse’s behaviour.
Stay safe and don’t put yourself at risk. Remember frightened horses can be unpredictable. Try to get out of the way if they become stressed or startled.
Further assistance from our nutritional team
We hope you find our horses and fireworks tips helpful. If you would like to know more about our Pure Calm and Compose supplement or you have any questions for our nutritionists, please give them a call on 01458 333 333 or send them an email on [email protected]
FAB Firework Campaign
One effort to help protect our horses, other animals and vulnerable people from the distress fireworks can cause is the FAB Firework Campaign. Julie Doorne from FAB shared more about the initiative with us.
“The unexpected noise & visuals of fireworks can cause distress and anxiety to vulnerable people and animals. We are asking the government to take seriously the problem that many people have with fireworks and limit their sale to licensed displays only.” Julie Doorne, FAB Firework Campaign.
You can find out more about the campaign on the FAB website and how to effectively report any incidents relating to fireworks and horses via the BHS website: https://fabfireworkcampaign.org/
