Bonfires, fireworks and pyrotechnics can frighten horses, ponies and pets. As carers for our animals we have a responsibility to keep them safe, healthy and calm. As Guy Fawkes night celebrations draw near, bonfires and fireworks can be a serious cause for concern and our horses and ponies may benefit from some help to keep calm.
Fireworks and fires frighten horses and ponies
Responsible animal owners always have concerns in the run up to the fifth of November and its accompanying bonfires and pyrotechnics. Unsurprisingly fire, acrid smoke, bangs and bright flashes all cause stress to horses and ponies as well as to other animals. So, to reduce stress in your horse or pony during the bonfires and fireworks this autumn take some straightforward precautions:
- Talk with your neighbours and local authority about local fireworks parties
- Continue a steady, uninterrupted routine for your horse or pony
- Ensure your horse’s field shelter, barn or stable is safe from stray fireworks or bonfire embers
- Have your livery yard arrange a watch rota when bonfires are lit nearby
- Consider leaving the yard lights on overnight
- Keep the number of your vet posted clearly on the stable door
Dr Susanna Ballinger, Clinical Director at Ballinger Equine comments:
“Every year in late October and early November, our practice is inundated with requests for help from worried horse and pony owners and livery yard managers. Everybody wants to know what they can do to keep their pets, horses and ponies calm during fireworks. It is hardly surprising that the smells and sounds of burning and the bangs and flashes of fireworks, all trigger agitation, distress and even fear in animals.”
Don’t wait until 5 November! Act now
“Our advice is that if you have a nervous horse and you know there will be fireworks and bonfires close to where your horse is kept, please don’t wait until the fifth of November. Get in touch with your vet now and discuss the option of a prescribed medicine sedative. This may be administered prior to the onset of the stressor event to sedate your horse and prevent agitated behaviour.”
Ballinger Equine Calm Assist for your horse
For those horses and ponies who are easily upset during such periods of stress, a high quality calmer fed in accordance with your vet’s instructions can be invaluable. Ballinger Equine’s own veterinary grade Calm Assist can be purchased without prescription directly from our online shop and is best fed in the days leading up to the anticipated stressful event.
Calm Assist comprises a veterinary formulated combination of magnesium, L-tryptophan and Saccharomyces cerevisiae, designed to be fed as a nutritional adjunct to help maintain normal nervous function in potentially anxious and stress-prone horses and ponies. It may be obtained directly via the Ballinger Equine online shop, through a Ballinger Equine veterinary surgeon or by ‘phoning the Practice office on 01462 414008.
For equestrian sporting competitors, the good news is that the entire Ballinger Equine branded range of supplements is guaranteed free of naturally occurring prohibited substances.
