Is your horse or pony suffering from fireworks stress?

December 21, 2023

New Year's Eve is coming up again and that means fireworks. We understand that this can be a challenge if it makes your horse or pony very restless. We have some tips to make sure your horse or pony gallops into the New Year calm and healthy:

Try to stick to the daily routine

Horses are creatures of habit. Make sure to avoid confronting fireworks, but try to stick to the daily routine as much as possible. So give your horse his daily exercise if there is room for it. Your horse may actually become restless if things go differently than normal.

Leave the radio and lights on at the barn

When your horse or pony is stabled, it may be smart to leave the radio on. This may be quite a bit louder than usual. This provides background noise, making the fireworks less noticeable. Be aware that horses have sharper hearing than ourselves, so very loud music is definitely not pleasant for horses and ponies. In addition, it is smart to leave the lights on in the stable. Flashes of light are therefore less visible.

Provide adequate roughage around the turn of the year

Food is distracting. So give your horse or pony plenty of roughage around 12:30. Then your horse will have something to nibble on. This provides distraction and rest.

Stay calm yourself as well

Try to ignore the bangs yourself and stay calm. If you exude calmness and act as if nothing is wrong, this will have a positive influence on your horse.

Extreme fear of fireworks

If you know from other years that your horse experiences really severe anxiety around New Year's Eve, contact your veterinarian.

Here's to a beautiful 2024!

The specialists from Subli wish you and your horse a happy and most importantly safe New Year. Here's to a beautiful 2024!

TERUG NAAR HET OVERZICHT