Bonfire Night – Top Tips to Keep Your Horse and Animals Safe!

Top Tips to Keep Your Horse and Animals Safe on Bonfire Night

Loud, sudden bangs from fireworks can cause significant distress in some animals and with Bonfire Night just around the corner, it’s worth bearing in mind some best practices for helping to keep your horses and pets calm and safe.

Advice for Horses

• Keep horses in a familiar environment as any sudden changes to routine could cause added stress.
• If kept in a stable, check for anything that could cause injury and ensure items such as haynets are secure.
• If in a field, check fencing is secure and there are no foreign objects around.
• Distract them by giving plenty of hay. If stabled, put on a radio to mask the noise (but make sure it’s positioned out of reach!)
• Do some research to see when local events are taking place and let neighbours know that you have horses so you can be prepared.

Advice for Cats & Dogs

• Close windows and curtains to muffle sound and put on some music of the tv.
• Create hiding places or a quiet space in your home where your pet can feel secure and in control.
• Keep cats inside and walk dogs during daylight hours to avoid likely times when fireworks could be set off.

Advice for Small Animals

• Partly cover outside cages and pens with blankets so the area is soundproofed. Leave at least a small area for the animals to look out of.
• Provide enough bedding for them to burrow in.

Bonfires

• Don’t forget to check bonfires for any animals and disturb them before lighting to allow any animals to escape. Hedgehogs, in particular, like to nest at the bottom.
• Position bonfires well away from any wooden structures such as stables and always have a fire extinguisher handy!

Calmers

Calmers are a useful way to help reduce stress in animals on occasions such as Bonfire Night. We stock a good selection of them in store and on our website. Take a look at the link below.

Calmers

We have compiled this advice from the likes of the RSPCA, World Horse Welfare and British Horse Society. Follow the links to their respective websites if you would like to find out more.