Repost: Happy Let’s-Scare-The-Pets-To-Death-Day!
Jul 02 2010
Always worthy of a repost around this time of year. If I can help a couple of injuries/lost pets not happen, that is a very good thing!
Yes, we’re coming up on the fourth of July, otherwise known as that day when thousands of normally calm, rational pets will wind up hiding under a bed, shaking all over, peeing on themselves and thinking that the world is ending. I wish I could figure out why we still have to re-enact the rockets’ red glare over 200 years later, and cannot just content ourselves with having a nice parade and taking bets on where a mini will choose to poop (if you have not seen this phenomenon, you need to get out of the city more!), but I can at least go over some tips for surviving this very loud holiday without ending up dragging your poor veterinarian away from his or her well-deserved third beer.
For horses, this is one night when you might want to keep them in, even if they normally like to be out. By all means, don’t keep a horse like my Buffy in (2010 edit: may she R.I.P., she was awesome) – she hates stalls with a passion and would weave herself into a white sweat all night. (But then again, Buffy would stomp a firework to death if it annoyed her. She’s that kind of mare.) However, for the average horse who isn’t opposed to occasionally being confined, tucking them in to a safe stall with non-slippery bedding and a huge pile of hay to distract them is often the wisest choice.
Stall mats are great cushioning for a hard floor, but they’re not always grippy. I have seen many a horse slip and slide on rubber mats, particularly if they get wet. Likewise, I like bedding pellets but if you don’t wet them down to turn them into sawdust, they can also be a slipping hazard. You know this if you have ever gone ass-over-teakettle sliding on them yourself, as I admit I have! If there is any day your horse is going to slip and fall in the stall, it is this one, so be sure to provide the best footing possible in case your horse ends up putting on a show when he hears the ruckus outside.
If they are going to be out, what’s your fence like? If you have iffy wire fence, the round pen might be a better choice tomorrow evening. If there is a chance the horse will be panicking, you want them on very visible fence that is unlikely to hurt them if they bounce off of it. If you can pair them with a horse that you know doesn’t get upset, that’s even better.
Please plan any riding for early enough in the day that you won’t be mounted come twilight. As we’ve discussed before, there is something that will spook even the “bomb proof” horse and fireworks are often on that list. I know that with the holiday and family visiting, it is so tempting to put the little ones up for a pony ride. Just do it during the daylight hours!
The Fourth is a day when you have to worry about fire. I know I have readers here who’ve had pastures set on fire by illegal fireworks, and of course there is the same risk for your barn. If you tend to have herds of free-range drunks, feral teenagers, etc. in your neighborhood, you might want to park your own 4th of July celebration in full view of the horses as a deterrent.
I know many people still use the old trick of stuffing a cotton ball or piece of sponge in their sensitive horse’s ears for the show ring. Well, that old trick will work for the 4th, too. Just make sure you get whatever you put in completely out afterward. I read a really cool idea online where the person puts the sponges inside old nylons and ties the nylon to the halter so that the sponge can easily be retrieved and there is no risk it will break apart and go down into the ears. I’m also told you can buy horsey ear plugs now. Those look pretty nice for three bucks!
I know some of you are going to say, hey, desensitize those silly horses – and you’re not necessarily wrong. A horse who has been hunted off of or used for mounted shooting is likely to rest easy on the 4th. But that is easier said than done with some horses and my goal is to keep everybody’s day safe and the vets on vacation!
Now, what about those small animals? Your barn cats will disappear into the hay and wait for the noise to be over. Dogs have more trouble with it, in general. Every 4th of July, many dogs run away in fear and many of those are never recovered alive. Please keep your dog inside or in a kennel/run he cannot escape from. Keeping him inside may not be that easy if you have guests over, so you might want to consider putting him somewhere more secure – the basement, a horse stall, etc. Remember that he may chew things when he’s upset, so you might regret the tack room. Like horses, dogs can wear ear plugs, and tranquilizers are available from your vet for the pet who is truly terrified.
HSUS’s page on keeping your dog safe on the 4th
Sometimes the best idea is to just board your dog! There are many completely indoor dog boarding facilities where there is no chance of escape and many are located right within the city where fireworks are confined to “official displays” and it isn’t as loud as it is in rural areas. Especially if you are going out of town or will be out late at a party, this is a truly wise choice. As with everything, check the place out and make sure it is well-reviewed!
All right, now that all of that is said, have a fun Fourth and remember, if you’re drinking, that’s where you need to be sleeping!
Early warning for the PNW’ers – the SAFE horseshow will be August 7 at Donida Farm in Auburn. This is a show that has Rescue Horse Classes, so just bring your adoption contract or your “before” pics and you can compete against other rescues. It is a really great show if you have not shown before and want to be with other beginners. Stalls are available this year. They are looking for class and trophy sponsors – click here for more information. This is a great opportunity to help a worthy, well run rescue that publicly displays where every dime of donor money goes on their message board, follows up on all adoptions and does not have “OMG we have no hay money!” emergencies.
89 comments to “Repost: Happy Let’s-Scare-The-Pets-To-Death-Day!”
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For the 4th and also for New Years Eve which in this area seems to be as bad as the 4th, for my two dogs I use Rescue Remedy for Animals. It comes in people formula which is a very effective stress remedy I personally use because of what I have to do for a living, comes in handy. Very effective pet formulation, doesn’t make the dogs groggy or dopey (or at least dopey-er than usual). Also there is a homeopathic remedy I have used for the dogs made by “Homeo-pet” I get it at the vitamin/health food store, it’s the one labeled “TANF” for “thunder and Noise Formula” (started calling the local preacher that for his hellfire and brimstone sermons, he was NOT amused). One other thing I used for a Jack Russell I fostered who was literally terrified of everything, it was called an “anxiety wrap” they still sell those but the name has changed, not sure now but there are a lot of ads in the dog publications for them, also very effective esp. if you don’t want to go the doggie valium route.
All of my horses are older and have seen (heard) everything more than once, no longer an issue. I would not let them out on the 4th from about noon on, however. Neighbors like to bring out the illegal heavy artillery for the occasion and not taking any chances here regardless of how bombproof my critters have become!
I love Rescue Remedy! It’s amazing stuff. Reminds me that I need a new bottle!
Rescue Remedy is FANTASTIC. I’ve never used it for animals, but I myself have tried it and it really does work great. I should get another bottle too…
Doggy ear plugs. I didn’t know they had those. I should look into it. My dog is terrified of both thunderstorms (which we’ve been having a lot lately) and fireworks which for some reason people around here seem to like setting off every night a week before until a week after the Fourth.
LOVE IT LOVE IT LOVE IT! Being the over dramatic young adult I am, this stuff has come in very handy.
Well I wish I had known about this stuff LAST night (July 1st here in Canada). Tried to take the dog (shepherd) out for a short walk – and the neighbours started up the fireworks. Dog was terrorized, and bolted for home – I ended up on the pavement…with a broken toe. Honestly, do we need fireworks in residential neighbourhoods? Grumble.
One of the rare occasions I`m glad to live not in the US. Germans go crazy with fireworks for precisely one night of the year – December 31th. I spend that night last year at the barn – surrounded by luckily only mild suprised horses. They didn`t complained at all about the noise outside – at least not after I threw everyone an extra flake of hay in their stalls.
I found this weird video defending a family who had their horses seized in Candia, NH. Anyone you know. The owner is on in the beginning. She looks like a wingnut.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGjrE36PGzg&feature=related
Ah, here are some more details. Good grief! Yes, your Arabian horses should probably have shelter during a New Hampshire winter!
http://allhorses.freelief.com/?p=2991
One of my “friends” lost her Doberman last 4th of July. Lets call her an aquaintance really. She put Chauncie in the back yard and went out to party. Granted the back yard had a 8 foot fence (she lived in one of those planned communities). She came home and Poof, no Chaunice. Runny dog poop everywhere, and a path pounded out in the yard where he paced. She thinks he jumped the fence. She didnt even go to the animal shelter to look for him. She had no concept of how to take care of an animal. Her inside dog, Coco…is allowed to urinate and crap every where, and she cleans up after him, like you would a baby. Her house is less then pleasant. We argued about this (she has a 2 year old toddler now as well) and now we are no longer friends and greet each other with “Hello NAME” and Hello Jessie, like in Seinfield. Im happier.
I stay at home on the 4th, or take Miss Kaiya (pooch) with me. She is terrified of loud noises. She was a rescue pup, and has some serious issues (vacuumm cleaner, platic bags, her water bowl are all scary monsters ) She even hides her food with anything she can find to cover it up. We gave her a towell for this. She is just overly sensitive to loud noices. . Kaiya gets her doggy Vicoden and spends the evening hanging out with me or sleeping on my feet.
Luckly the horses are great. Knock on wood. They still get put in their stalls with hay and the radio up a little louder then normal. We are strong believers that anything can happen and will. Our two were raised in a community with hunting, and target practice competitions, so the loud bangs dont seem to bother them. But still safe and cozy in their stalls. I tihnk they would prefer to be stalled all the time, those two seem to enjoy having the food and water right in front of them rather then GASP having to walk to the pond, or the waterer or actually grazing. lazy asses.
HAppy 4th and be safe!!!
eerrr Doggy Valium, not Vicoden. Work is getting to me.
It’s not the rocket’s red glare that bothers me, it’s the bombs bursting in air part. If they could only silence the damn things, I would be okay with them. My poor border collie, she just hates them, thunder and gunfire. We will be at a friends house where we can see, but not hear them, and no close neighbors, so hopefully, she will be fine.
Sorry for again being off-topic but this is really getting good. This NH case is quite interesting. Here is an informative comment from the article above. If true, this is yet another case of a serial hoarder that is simply changing states:
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“I want to correct a few things. First off, it is the LAW to have a Coggins test and Health Certificate when moving horses. This is very important for long distance hauls such as Co to NH. Out west they have brand inspections. This is a Federal Law. EIA has been on the rise in NE. It is more important now then ever to have current testing when moving horses. Remember, horses can be carriers for this disease. Luckily Heidi Fredrick moved the horses here before the bug season and hopefully she will have ALL of her 30 horses tested before summer.
Sprowl had been to Castlewood in fall. He was not let on to the property. It was well known to Heidi and Brian that they were not following the shelter laws. Many rumours around town about people calling. They were warned by officals that people were complaining. They knew it was only a matter of time before this would happen. My guess is that they wanted this to happen so that they could have a “property rights†issue and fit in better with the FreeState Project members.
Remember, this woman was also under investigation on CO. They state they are innocemt and yet at the same time have varied and numerous excuses for why the horses were in such poor shape. We are talking about heavy worm burdens and a Hennekes body scale of 1 and horses without shelter. This is unacceptable. I hope Heidi Fredrick learned her lesson. I also find it strange that they claim they had no money and yet instantly came up with a 20k retainer for a lawyer. That should have went to FEED the horses.
Heidi also severely neglected a horse that wqas sold to her after she moved to NH. She never told the caretaker that the horse required a special diet as the horse was insulin resisant. WHO DOES THAT? I will tell you who, an insane horse hoarder. We have all since this before.”
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A unique twist is that these people joined a fringe group, called Free State Project, that basically tells the government “leave us alone”. Not surprising, actually.
Fascinating to me the lengths people will go to neglect their horses.
http://freestateproject.org/
Okay, seriously here, folks, I would LOVE to see statistics on how many pets actually die from hearing fireworks. I have lived in rural areas where fireworks are common for the last 12 years and I have NEVER had an animal get seriously upset over them. I have cats and dogs too, and while they will be mildly surprised, it goes away in an hour or so and is never a big deal. We once had fireworks right across the street from us and our horses did not react at all–in fact, they seemed to be watching the colorful display through mouthfuls of hay. I have had friends who said their pets will hide under the bed, or their horses will spook, but within a few hours they’re back to normal.
Honestly, it’s only a few times a year that animals experience fireworks, and I doubt very seriously that “many” dogs run when there are fireworks and aren’t recovered alive. Let’s see some facts here rather than speculation.
Ask any shelter worker. There is a HUGE increase of lost pets during the 4th. Have you ever lived in an area where it sounds like freaking Beirut out there? I have.
It’s a fact. The response is similar during big lightning storms.
I’m not in a shelter, so I can’t give you numbers, and realistically how would I prove that the numbers are accurate, because I can’t prove why dogs in particular will take off running during storms or fireworks displays.
But I do know that my parents’ dog goes nuts during fireworks displays, as does our neighbor’s dog– he has scars on his face from fighting his way out of his kennel during storms and fireworks.
Katphoti, I’ll bet you are going to get so many responses to this!
I had an Australian Shepherd mix that was terrified of fireworks and almost killed. I tied her up to go somewhere and told my then boyfriend not to let her loose for a second, that she had to be leashed or tied at all times, even though she was in a fenced yard, and even to take her into the house, because there were going to be fireworks for a spring festival later that night. He didn’t listen, let her loose to play with him in the yard because it was early in the day…
She heard something (he didn’t even hear it) and took off, panicked, and tried to hide under slow-moving cars on a major 3-lane road. She was hit, kept trying to crawl under cars, and boyfriend finally caught her. One of the cars drove them to Pet Emergency where she was treated for a collapsed lung. It was a miracle she wasn’t killed.
Another year prior, I was going somewhere and I left her in the house with music on. I had those type of windows with the crank-turn handle that opens the window. They will not push open, you have to turn the crank — or so I thought. I checked all the windows to make sure they were closed tightly, but I didn’t notice one was not locked. When I pushed and worked at that window later, I couldn’t figure out how she did it, because it wouldn’t open for me, but she scratched and pushed at it and eventually opened it enough to get out. I found her the next day. She ran eight miles across town to my old house.
I’m not including all the angst and drama that accompanied these two events, time spent looking for her and money spent at the vets, but believe me, dogs get seriously injured and killed because of fireworks. In my case, my vet gave me those lifesaving valium drops which kept her sane after that.
I have to add that even if the dog isn’t killed it can be horribly traumatized and seriously injured. My dog would shake violently and her heart would just about pound out of her chest. That can’t be good for a dog’s health. There was a news item about a pit bull who was so terrified he broke most of his teeth off trying to get out of his chain link kennel during the fireworks. His mouth was cut to shreds… well, you can imagine.
I’m sure there is lots of good advice, but mine is to use Doggie Downers and an inside room in your house with a fan and music on to mask the sounds.
One more thing: I read that fear of loud noises in dogs is something that comes on suddenly. They can be fine for years and inexplicably develop this phobia. It can be cured sometimes with exposure methods but there are some dogs who never overcome it, and some breeds are more prone to it.
“One more thing: I read that fear of loud noises in dogs is something that comes on suddenly. They can be fine for years and inexplicably develop this phobia. ”
Absolutely true. I had a labrador who was a cucumber during storms, fireworks, and anything else for years — then one day there was a t-storm. I was sitting on the floor and suddenly became aware that she was curled around behind me like a bolster. From that day on, she was Not Happy about thunder and fireworks, even though gunshots never bothered her.
I have NO idea why she changed, and there is no real explanation — it wasn’t even a particularly loud thunderstorm. Inexplicable is the right word.
I believe that it happens to other people, but I was surprised by the article because our horses seem not to notice, and we’re close enough to the Collierville displays for the fireworks to get pretty loud. It’s probably because the field next to our place is often used for dove and turkey shoots. We have had to call our neighbors and ask them to please watch where they were shooting because spent bird shot was raining down on the roof of our house!
We have also had the grass in our drive set on fire by the neighbors’ fireworks. I ran down there and stomped/smothered the grass fire – I didn’t think I still had it in me to move that fast, the drive to the barn is a good quarter mile – ruined a brand new pair of white tennies, but just think what COULD have happened! By the time I got to it, which was literally only a matter of seconds, there was a scorched patch of grass about ten feet in diameter. My father had a few words with the redneck neighbors, but I doubt it made any lasting impression on them, so we try to stay aware of who’s shooting what where.
I believe in keeping dogs and cats indoors during all major holidays. Drunk and rowdy people driving around looking for something to commit mayhem on worry me more than fireworks.
I live in a rural area where people have horses, cows, goats, sheep and a few chickens. We also have family that lives on the same road that owns absolutely no animals and they love to have a firework show every July 4th. Its not the firecrackers, it is the bursting in air with the loud boom that scares animals on our road. They don’t care. So far, one neighbor has had a cow run throw a fence, one neighbor lost a colt and another neighbor had a horse split its gut open trying to jump a fence scared. These animals would have been put up in the barn if they had known about the fireworks. I live next door to the nuts and I have to go get my horse out o the pasteur, feed him hay and calm him down while I stand there half the night holding him with a leadrope in the stall so he won”t hurt his self.
Now, if the the situation was reversed, I would absolutely quit with the fireworks.
Anybody with common sense KNOWS you don’t have a frigging firework show in the middle of a community with livestock everywhere. Finally, the bastards moved after the neighbors complained enough to the landlord.
Call any Emergency Clinic. They are usually where the animals end up on the night of the 4th…then are turned over to the shelter the following morning. Or…found the next day running and turned over to shelters. Any ER staff member or shelter employee would probably be more than happy to tell you how many they end up with.
As a staff member of several clinics..I can say that we would fill our kennels with loose and injured animals!
Three years ago the Kansas HIghway Patrol picked up a Anatolian Shepherd on July 5th in the median of a local highway. They brought her to the vet clinic where I was working. Using a tatoo in her ear we found the Texas breeder who connected us with her Kansas owner. This took a week to get all the dots to connect…..and yes, the dog bolted from fireworks on July 4th near the rural home.
Are you kidding me? My dog turns into a drooling, panting, whining, pacing MESS over fireworks or thunder. I have to give her Ace prior to thunderstorms and she’ll probably spend this whole weekend at least mildly drugged.
At the moment she’s ok, but she’s in the darkened laundry room in her crate, with the door shut. But at some point, she’s going to need to go potty, and the morons are already popping up here and there. Fireworks are illegal in most towns and people need to just get over it, and shoot them off where it’s legal to do so, or go see the display the towns put on. Thankfully mine doesn’t do a display, but there’s a bunch of towns within a 20 – 45 min drive that do, so most of the idjits leave town at least one night.
I dislike this particular holiday so much just because of what it does to the animals. For many a year my husband and I would have to go out and have a bonfire, crank the boombox and stand out in the pasture with my old gelding (RIP old man). He would work himself into a complete sweat and if we were not standing beside him would just go nuts. A stall would not have worked as he would have found a way to bust out. Last year we went camping up to Buck Creek and took all the animals with us and had the best 4th ever. Beautiful weather, QUIET and great riding. Sadly this year we wont be able to excape the noise so we will be camped out babysitting the “kids”.
OT for the Pennsylvanians
Looking for private boarding for a rescue horse in rehab condition short-term, probably only a few months. Ideally in the Kunkletown area. A small pasture would be ideal, alone or with an “oldie” who won’t bother her. Safe fence, of course! Contact me if you have anything and for further information: resqtb@yahoo.com.
I got a call from my neighbor today who let me know that they were having a big party this weekend – just in case any of my horses went “schitzo.” Totally appreciate that. They usually have a party on the 4th, so I usually move my horses out of the pasture near them, but it was nice for the actual warning. My horses are spending the weekend in the arena….
Usually my horses just watch the show and don’t really care about the noises, except the sizzle noises. They are used to guns, horns, etc., etc, so for the most part they are prepared. However, it only takes one to freak out and the rest of the herd follows. Apparently, they are afraid of the fear of the other.
Better to be safe than sorry. I saw a horse rear up and impale himself on a T-post once because of firework fear. That horse was, for all intents and purposes, considered “bomb-proof.” Sad stuff. He had to be put down. The vet told the owners that the injury was just too extensive. That was about 10 years ago. Luckily we have one pasture and an arena that has a pretty large “buffer” zone around it.
I assume the tpost was uncapped — yet another story about how those things are just horse killers. Even to the bomb proof ones!!
D.A.P. Can help a dog cope. It comes in a diffuser style, spray, or a collar. It’s available at Petsmart, maybe Petco. Start using it the day before and apply to the dog’s secure areas, wherever he chills out or where you are going to confine him when the booms start. Get it NOW, it sells out this time of year. I love the stuff, it’s made by Farnam. Their cat version, Feliway, has created a Kitty Cease Fire in my house. I hope I live long enough to see an equine version. Or a human happy bomb.
I’ll bet Benadryl would be good too, to make them sleepy, and it is available over the counter. Be sure and get the right dosage; it’s higher in dogs than in humans. The dose for my dog is 2 1/2 tablets. I think she weighs about 65 lbs.
Dose is about 1mg per pound. I think the pills are 25mg. My Shih Tzu takes it for allergies but it doesn’t make him sleepy.
I’ve already had a young mare get hurt being in a stall during fireworks. She banged her knee hard enough to create a very ugly swelling and lameness– nothing like adding 4-6 weeks of stall rest to a training schedule. In her case, the Barn Owner liked to present his own multi-thousand dollar display, next to the outdoor riding arena. ~sigh~
I’m a big fan of simply giving a long acting tranquilizer if you know the neighbors (or the barn owner….) are going to be having a display right next door. For more distant fireworks, I usually plan to hang out in the barn, at least for the first little bit, to model the It’s No Big Deal attitude for my horses.
One other suggestion– Loud music. Play it for a few nights before the big fireworks display, and again on the night of the display. It works wonders for numbing and hiding the scary big bangs– we use it regularly for my parents’ storm-scared dog.
Three years ago, my neighbors started fireworks at 3 in the afternoon. My blind mare panicked and scraped the bejeesus out of her side from shoulder to hip against the post-and-board fence, I swear it was like racing stripes. I saw the scuffs where her leg went under the bottom rail, I counted myself lucky that she didn’t break a leg. The asshat’s fireworks were landing in the paddock.
The following year, she was due to foal on July 10th. Naturally, she foaled on July 3rd. So she and I spent her first two nights with her first baby in her stall, sweltering, only fans for cooling, with the barn locked up tight as I could to muffle the noise of the same asshat neighbors, to whom I had earlier, very politely, explained the new baby to and asked them to refrain from using the fireworks “with report” as those bother her the most…and of course they couldn’t be bothered. I hate people. Particularly drunk male people.
This year, we moved. To the middle of nowhere, and my closest neighbor is a vet, so no worries there.
But my one fearful dog will still spend the night as close to me as he can possibly get. Like on my head. Shaking like a leaf, the poor little guy. Good thing he only weighs ten pounds, else I’d suffocate.
OK, first to “floridafarmmom”, that Candia,NH case is from a couple years ago. I actually helped care for the horses when they were in custody of the SPCA. Yes, the owners are “one brick shy of a full load”. And the whole Free State thing is just a bunch of nutcases. The horses are still being monitored regularly and included some very nice Arabians that had the misfortune to end up in the hands of these idiots.
OT again, but has everyone seen the mare on the ABR thread for this week’s Camelot auction. Poor mare has a big hole right between her eyes where there is a chunk of her skull missing. It’s not clear how the injury happened (intentional or accident) but she was delivered to auction with a Hanes sock superglued into the hole. She has be rescued and the vet who examined her said that the mare has had this injury for at least a month. Just when you think you’ve seen it all…. There is a special place in H— for the person(s) responsible.
Now, on-track, I wanted to mention that we usually view fireworks at the Univ. of N.H. They are set off right across the road from the UNH horse barns. We always park near the barns and visit the horse while waiting for the show to start. Surprisingly, most of the horses seem to take it in stride, even the ones that are left out in paddocks. Maybe they’ve just grown accustomed.
Attending fire works shows was something I did before I had pets. Now that I have a pack, I want to spend my time with THEM. Hubby has family into pyrotechnics, so he will take off for a show, but I dunno -how many flashing exploding things do you need to see in a lifetime? I will be at a show this 4th and hubby will be sitting, but in past years the 4th is BBQ and movie night, and despite any noise the pack takes their cue from our behavior. Its no big deal for us, so no big deal for them. I knew of one lady who ruined every shepherd dog she had because she *knew* that shepherds were ALL sound and thunder phobic, so at the first drop of rain would start to baby and comfort and reassure her dogs that all was OK – this woman a psychologist no less. She proved herself right…every shepherd she raised was neurotic during storms and with loud noises. (head:desk). Living in the heart of the city as I do, we do get lots of kids making noise and the like. One neighbor doses his dogs with benadryl and then hopes the dogs will be OK as he goes off to celebrate the date. I can’t understand having a sensitive animal and knowing that it will be super stressed and then intentionally leaving the animal alone. Being a responsible pet owner -to me – means being there for your pet when it counts, and putting partying on the back burner, and socializing with friends at home if you just *have* to celebrate the date.
I will be at a DOG show this 4th… (DOH!)
OT, but today i was watching RFDtv, looking for the coverage of showjumping they occasionally have on there, when i happened onto an interveiw with Pat and Linda Parelli. A man called in and asked them about riding, and wether they teach it, and Pat answered that equitation is just “icing on the cake” when it comes to riding, and doesn’t really matter. Another gem: “a horse is the only one who can teach you to ride.” Although this is true in some cases, my friends mare has a habbit she developed as a lesson horse of dropping her shoulder and bucking everytime someone got too harsh with the reins. Not a good teacher, without any warning throwing you on the ground without any guidance on how to do it better. And if you relied solely on this horse you would assume that to ride, you can’t touch their mouths at all, running into a bunch of other problems.
If you had to depend only on horses for riding lessons, you would get hopelessly confused at what you did wrong everytime you come off. His remark just continues to justify bad riders bouncing up and down on their horses kidney’s, yanking and spurring without guidance from a good trainer. Equitation and lessons are the key to being able to ride competently and in sync with your horse.
He also mentioned that riding was “merely the act of staying on a horse.” That could explain why so much of his emphasis is on playing fancy ground games without getting on that doesn’t require any skill.
Painful.
Yeah, and your car can teach you to drive.
WIN!
Gee, and to think, I could have been raised with a stellar trainer like Parelli!
I just got some second rate guy who trained in his free time, when he wasn’t teaching Biology.
He informed me that a rider is always either training or untraining a horse.. Skilled riders train their horses, either by reinforcing good behavior, or teaching new positive behaviors. Poor riders untrain their horses, by letting them get away with bad behavior or by teaching them how to behave badly.
Pretty sad when my old part time trainer has it figured out, while Parelli is stuck in the, “Riding is just sticking on a horse” phase of life.
Guess he forgot the part that the rider is the *leader* and therefore should know what she or he is doing. Asking the horse to teach you is asking the horse to be the leader. Recipe for disaster. What is wrong with these people?
Actually I think they are just amazingly stupid communicators. Yes, equitation for the sake of looking pretty isn’t very effective. Riding is staying on the horse. But that’s like having your English teacher say “writing is just putting words on paper.”
I do not know what is wrong with them either, but equitation isn’t a trend or a show ring only thing. Everything in (proper) equitation has a PURPOSE that contributes toward keeping you on the horse and the horse happy about that. Gawd, every time the Parellis speak, a whole new kind of stupid comes out. It pains me beyond belief that the HSUS allies itself with them. If one thing does ever get me to completely stop supporting HSUS, that will be it. Who decided that Pat Parelli should be a spokesperson and had they ever sat on a horse you didn’t put a quarter into???
I got lucky with my cat – he’s indoors only, so no great escapes, but the one fourth we spent in the city he was ENRAPTURED with the fireworks. He’d run from one side of the apartment to the other to watch them as they went off. And he’d injured himself (silly beast got himself wedged behind the washing machine and cut his paw – long story) so he had a large bandage the vet had put on wrapped around his paw.
The kitchen area of my apartment was linoleum, with a bump up to the carpeting of the living area. So each time he’d go over that bump his bandage would catch on it and he’d go ass over teakettle. XD
I live near a ballpark (which has fireworks during baseball season) in an area where people illegally light fireworks on holidays and some weekends. My pets are used to the sound.
My husband decided to take my docile car-ride-loving kitty outside one New Year’s Eve so she could see the fireworks. She flipped out, scratched the hell out of him, then scratched the hell out of me when I grabbed her to take her inside. She is now terrified when brought out the front door, and tries to escape when I even walk near the front door while holding her. She doesn’t have the same problem with the patio door. She clearly associates being carried through the front door with being terrified. I doubt she remembers what scared her.
Please don’t give Benadryl without talking to your vet. Some people/animals react to drugs in atypical ways. It can cause anxiety and hyperventilation. I’ve given it to my dogs under vet orders and they’ve been fine, but my little mare is having respiratory problems and we’re trying to figure out if they’re due to her allergy meds, an allergy, an infection, overheating, or COPD.
Good God, I am dreading the 4th. We have lived in our current house for almost a year. Every major holiday some asshole in a black SUV drives around the neighborhood blowing an air horn until 2am. They have done this for Halloween, Xmas and New Years. So I fully expect the 4th will be no different, especially since I have been hearing fireworks going off since last week. It scares the crap out of my cats and my dog seems to think we are being invaded. I hate people.
My collie used to be absolutly fine with fireworks – when she was a puppy the people next door had fireworks and she didn’t bat an eyelid at them. At about 18 months old we were at a fun show at the local RSPCA shelter where they had various displays on as well as fun classes. One of those displays one was off police dogs working and included a cap gun! Real smart idea, terrified my collie and she is now petrified of loud bangs. We usually provide dark hidey holes for our lot to go into and try not to tranq them. My mom’s tibetian terrier is funny – he goes balistic but because he’s indignant about the bangs, not because he’s scared.
My sister’s young tb is funny – he likes fireworks! He’ll stand and watch them and seems to really enjoy them, not fussed about the noise or anything.
Hi Fugly,
This is off topic but right up your alley. You have to sign up to read the full story but it’s free.
http://www.thehorse.com/
“Plight of Drug-Trade Horses Described
Some pack horses that smugglers use to carry thousands of pounds of marijuana from Mexico into Arizona are unrecognized victims of the illegal drug trade, according to equine welfare advocates, government officials, and veterinarians who care for the animals.”
Hi Fugly,
More off topic stuff. You are mentioned in the first article.
http://www.riders4helmets.com/
What a fantastic site! I love that they don’t use scare tactics. They simply argue for the comfort and the fact that wearing a helmet is a smart decision. They also link to some pretty neat helmets. They missed out on one important aspect, though. Helmet covers. I’m trying so hard to be conservative, and not spend a lot of money, but check these out:
http://www.tail-wags.com/helmet.html
Are they not just the coolest? I could so wear those, let alone getting them for the kids.
Most of our show horses are fine with fireworks. In fact one of our Regional shows is during the 4th and typically the fireworks display goes off during the Amateur Western Pleasure 40 and over class. However, our property backs up to the local fairgrounds and every year when the fair starts they set off fireworks directly over our barn. This is my solution: I first sedate the goofier horses with .5 mL of Dorm IV. I then close the barn doors, crank up the barn radio as loud as possible, and make a huge commotion about haying. This seems to work, and I am telling you that it sounds like the Taliban is attacking outside.
Fireworks were actually set-off at my small horse boarding facility on New Year’s Eve. I arrived Jan. 1st to 3 horses who had busted through each others hot-wire lines and were about to come out of their skin. After my daughters and I relocated everyone and mended fence…our “land-lady” stumbled out (hungover I’m sure) to say she was soooo surprised, she hadn’t heard any running (I’m sorry– the fireworks probably drowned out the sound). I dread what may go on this weekend. Thankfully we will be getting our own property soon but just not soon enough. I love fireworks just not 10 feet from my horses stall.
My dogs spend the evening inside with me. We have neighbors who shoot guns, set off rockets and fireworks and there are three formal fireworks shows either July 3 or July 4. My horse doesn’t seem to mind the noise (or the rockets’ red glare ;o) and the dogs don’t mind it either. The Corgi-Doxie male growls, and his mother the Corgi is more interested in the possibility of cookies — she has a one-track mind and it leads directly to her stomach ;o) — and no one cowers. When I head out to check the situation, the dogs are right with me, and so it’s really a non-starter holiday. At least so far, and this marks 12 years here for me.
Have a happy Fourth of July, everyone, and be safe.
Its days like that I miss my mare. That girl just stood and craned her head as high as she could like she was trying to watch the fireworks too, you probably could have shot them off her back without a fuss(not that I tried) meanwhile her herd mates would do the normal horsey thing and run around like chickens with her head cut off. When the fireworks stop my mare would just look around like “wtf? Where did you guys go?”. Her arch nemisis? Buses. for some reason buses she thought would eat her, but fireworks are good!
One thing to reduce the effects of the lights from fireworks is to leave on all interior and exterior barn lights during the times fireworks are going off. It does nothing to reduce the sound but it DOES reduce the contrast of bright to dark in the sky. I do this at New Years and on Independence Day weekend if I have a horse that I am concerned about.
I’ll never forget my first experience with horses during the 4th of July. Some boys (never caught) got into the back pasture at the barn where I was taking lessons at and started shooting off bottle rockets. All six horses that were in that pasture of course went nuts and burst through the electric fence and out into the streets. The owners heard the bottle rockets and got outside as quickly as they could but they still weren’t in time to keep one two year old from getting hit by a car. It was horrible! Luckily, the person driving was okay but the car was totaled and the poor horse was badly hurt and had to be put down. This was at least 15 or so years ago but you can be sure our horses are always inside for the fourth no matter how far or near we might be to fireworks. You just can’t trust people to not be stupid. I guess if we had a horse who absolutely couldn’t be stalled we’d be spending the night out in the pasture.
Once upon a time, on vacation with the family on the Outer Banks on the 4th and with no real way to confine my dog for an evening, I had the bright idea to put him in my jeep with blankets/chewtoys, etc for a few hours. This wasn’t unusual for him, but trying it with fireworks was.
The neighbors lit some up and he jumped out through the closed driver’s side window. We searched frantically, driving the one main road on the island, fearing the worst. He came ‘home’ back to the rental house several hours later soaking wet. We think he must have run into the sound. We were damned lucky that he didn’t hurt himself busting out of the car, didn’t get run over, didn’t get lost forever…
I have been on the other side, too, finding dogs miles from home on the 5th of July. (The best was when the dog turned out to belong to an organic strawberry grower who showed their appreciation in fruit!)
If all your efforts to keep your pets safe fail, and the worst DOES happen, is your phone number on your dog’s collar? This weekend of all weekends…
My dog does not do well with thunderstorms and fireworks. We take the stuff out from under the kids’ bunk bed and she’ll hide under there until she thinks it’s safe to come out.
The horses couldn’t care less. Our neighbors are constantly firing shotguns, a mini cannon, and other noisy stuff. Plus the airport is about a mile away so the fighter jets, helicopters, and other noisy planes have deadened the horses to noises. We’ll be riding them and the mini cannon goes off and they don’t bat an ear.
Greetings from the fireworks capital of the world, home to both Zambelli’s and Pyrotechnico. This is the one time out of the year I truly worry for my horses. Saddlebreds are whip smart but there is just something about fireworks that will set them off. Around here it sounds like world war twelve is going on and yes, it started two nights ago! So they get all big and blustery and trot around showing off everything god gave them, but not in a good way! I think the pantyhose and sponges idea is going to be getting some work out this year, however, I will still have my lawn chair sitting right next to the fence, humming and acting dippy enough that they pay attention to what the crazy lady they trust, is doing. Might even try jumping jacks if I get really creative, somersaults really get them fascinated. and hunt for the cookies is always a good game. Wishing everyone a SAFE holiday!
Personally, I love watching fireworks and you can actually see a local town’s 4th of July show from my house- none of my 5 horses care and neither do my cats or dog.
Honestly, if your pets gets scared tranq them or do whatever to calm them, but that doesn’t mean other people don’t get to have their fun.
PS- When I was a mounted patrol ranger for our state parks, part of our training included things like flares, guns, smoke bombs, fireworks, etc- It wasn’t that hard to teach the horses to accept them
Isn’t that hard to teach MOST horses to accept them. When I purchased my then 18 yr old saddlebred, he had been used for three years prior as a Search and Rescue horse, desensitization training and all. The first 4th I had him he went straight through a wire fence at the boarding farm. BO said he was the LAST horse she would have expected to get upset! He was in the back forty with his favorite herd mates, none of whom got upset. That behavior NEVER changed through the rest of his life no matter how much we tried to desensitize him, even prepare him, for the event. Nothing else bothered him, I could set off fire extinguishers behind him and he could have cared less, same as my two current boys, heck I can even throw giant blue tarps over them, they don’t care. But fireworks, get them every time. Sometimes I wonder if its just deeply embedded into their DNA from the civil war.
Was out with them last night. *sigh* neighbor across the road decided to light off repeater type bottle rockets in full view of my pasture. The boys werent happy about that at all. They wouldnt settle down and eat their nice mashes. Instead they acted like they wanted to get out and go kick some neighbor ass. I wasnt too highly opposed to their way of thinking. Think I am going up to the tack store to see if they have ear plugs today.
Going to be a very long weekend…
Another thing to watch for is bloat. Some experts feel there is a connection between dog breeds that can bloat and fear of loud noices such as thunder and fireworks.
They are not sure if it caused by the increase of panting due to nervousness. It is also believed that more bloat happens at night.
Just something to keep in mind with the big dogs.
I’m very lucky – I’ve never had a critter that had major problems with fireworks. My old dog (who died two months ago) didn’t bat an eye at them…unless they were too loud or were still going off after 1:00am, then he would give his curmudgeonly “you kids keep it down, goddammnit” bark. I’ve got just two critters now – a 14 year old cat (or maybe 15, I’ve lost track) and an eight year old dog. Neither is reacting at all to the early fireworks going off in my neighborhood.
And to prove my point – we just had a really big flash/bang here. I jumped, the cat flicked her ears and my dog (who is sleeping on the couch next to me) didn’t even wake up.
How timely seeing as it seems like WWIII outside right now with illegal fireworks. My horses live near a big vacation area, and there are a zillion idiots running around right now that think they are in some mythical country where laws don’t apply to them.
On noisy nights like this we put our oldsters out with the younger herd. Usually the oldsters live in their own pasture, but this is a time when the younger ones really benefit from their calming presence. The oldies aren’t bothered at all by constant barrage of noise, they’ve heard it all so many times, they jump less than the humans. Sometimes all the younger horses will be spooking and galloping around the pasture looking for an escape, and shortly after letting the old mares in, everyone will be calm and grazing as if WWIII wasn’t going on behind the hill. A little extra hay always helps too
Several of our horses cannot bear to be confined in a stall, and the bigger the group is, the safer they seem to think they are, so they all stay out together.
My dear old mare is afraid of thunderstorms, but weirdly she ignores fireworks. She’s always been the bravest of our horses about most things, and the others always look to her to see if they should be afraid of something or not. Oddly, she was the horse I was riding the day some idiot teenage boys decided to throw poppers at the horses at a horseshow, and several were thrown underneath her. ~>:| It scared the heck out of both of us, but after I saw what they were and told her it was okay, she actually believed me. She actually has reason to fear fireworks, but she doesn’t. I wish she’d believe me about the thunderstorms–she’s only fine if I’m out in the barn with her. But if she’s in a pasture or stall alone she always gets at least some scrape in a bad storm, or something that requires an emergency vet call. “How bad is it?” “I can see all the way through her leg.” “That’s bad.” “No, really, I thought horses were supposed to be see-through.”
Good night to lock the oldsters or anything prone to bolting, colicking, panicking … in the barn with extra special hot mush (even plain pellets soaked with hot water and maybe a touch of applesauce) a pile of munchie hay and a radio playing classical music loud. It has saved me a couple oldsters with a history of stress colic.
Of course, checking on the beasties a couple times should be mandatory. The dog is a bird dog and expends 10,000 calories running around when he hears the ‘booms’ looking for something to retrieve * sigh * hasn’t found anything yet.
Our neighborhood sounds like Baghdad on a bad day, so the horsie people tend to get together at a central point, have our own quieter version and stay up as long as necessary to make sure no incidents happen.
I own a younger mare who is fascinated by the sounds. When I went to see if she was upset last year, she took away my rum&coke in a plastic tumbler, drank it all down, dropped the cup and demanded more. Stress is not her problem.
Here in Canada, yesterday was the day for fireworks (one of them anyways, Halloween is the other). Where I live now there is no problem but that isn’t how it used to be. My family lived on a cute little hobby farm on the outskirts of town for 18 years. The first few were great but then they turned some farm land across the street into a ballpark and proceeded to have our Canada Day and Halloween fireworks there. The first time was nuts with a couple of Arabs and a crazy OTTB (she is still a little crazy at 24yrs). Luckily we had really sturdy post and rail paddocks to confine them in to keep them under control. After many stressful years of cursing, planning and stressing our horses did get used to it and it became a non issue. They’d start the bonfire, my horses would do a few laps as all the people showed up then cooled their boots in time to watch the fireworks. My dog, on the otherhand, had to go to the boarding kennel for the night or it would be a week of 100lbs of trembling rottweiler hiding under the basement stairs or toilet. Now I live many kms out of town and don’t even bother to go in for the celebrations (I harbor a little resentment I guess). And besides, it is a HUGE waste of money.
Hi Fugly. Completely off topic but something happening here in Australia which I am terribly saddened by – http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/-/latest/7492421/butcher-gives-horse-meat-a-run/
I for 1 will be boycotting any butchers/resturaunts etc that will serve/supply horse meat but sadly, many don’t share my view.
I worked at an animal shelter in the SF Bay Area …. the weekend before the 4th we euthanized all the dogs that were past due (meaning just sitting there waiting to be adopted and taking up space ) to free up a few more cages . Sure enough the night cages were full the next morning after the 4th. I had a few choice words for the families picking up their pooch a few days later , because of their stupidity, a dog had to die to free up his cage. I just couldnt deal with people that never thought about consequences of their neglectful care , or their pets feelings .One woman came in with a beautiful dog, and about 4 wild kids, she told the staff that she just couldnt take care of one more thing in her life, I said to her ” well I think we can find 4 cages for the kids , then you and your dog can go home and have a nice relaxing evening. ” fortunatly I was a volenteer , I would have been fired, that was my last day. I lock my horses in a stall together during fireworks, and during the celebration I literally run to them in tears thinking they are scared, they are usually just standing there together resting one leg, and dozing off . Dogs need to be in the bedroom locked in and even in a large crate with a sheet over it and -or a dim light on in the bedroom. If you know your pet is scared then you have an obligation to stay at home with him.
“One woman came in with a beautiful dog, and about 4 wild kids, she told the staff that she just couldnt take care of one more thing in her life, I said to her †well I think we can find 4 cages for the kids , then you and your dog can go home and have a nice relaxing evening.”
ROTFL! ROTFL! ROTFL!
I love you.
Very sad, indeed. I volunteered at the Peninsula Humane Society as a reserve AC officer years ago. Which one did you work at? Awesome response! I would have loved to see the look on her face!
NPR had a good commentary on this topic yesterday. Hopefully the idea will reach more people.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=127739623
KPR/University of Kansas
Laura Lorson
“Now, despite the fact that we don’t set off fireworks, our entire Fourth of July is spent trying to keep our dogs from completely losing their minds, because everyone but everyone in town is setting off, like 600 firecrackers at a time, or things that whistle and explode right at second-story level, and the dogs strenuously object. So last Fourth of July, I’m inside, in the most soundproof room in the house, petting the heads of my extremely unhappy dogs, when I look outside.
There’s a kid, maybe 13 or 14, setting off a series of fireworks that sit on the ground and belch out sparks and supernova-esque light. He tries lighting one with one of those smoky stick things you use to light fireworks. No dice. So he tries lighting it with a match. Nope. He comes over with, apparently, a lighter. No. Now, the firework is smoking, but not expelling sparks, so clearly, ignition is not really the big problem in this situation. So then I see this kid vanish into his house and come back out with a can of gasoline. I realize what is about to happen.
It happens, even as I am reaching for the phone to dial 911. The kid, with the kind of luck that makes my parents seem like lunatic worrywarts, stands there and watches a stream of fire travel up and into the can of gasoline, which he then throws, spinning flames in giant, looping arcs, into the street. A horrible, heavy-on-the-bass THUNK emerges as the vapors in the can explode, yielding a stunning fireball. The spectator teenagers, gathered around him, scream with joy.
So this year, as you are happily blowing up hundreds of dollars’ worth of gunpowder and chemicals in your yard, spare just one thought for me, head in my hands, hiding in the back bedroom of my house with my dogs.
Safety first. And Happy Independence Day. No taxation without representation. One if by land, two if by sea. And give me liberty, or give me death. But keep the fireworks.”
I looked at the SAFE class list and it looks great! But I was wondering if anyone knows what the class called “Bribe Your Horse” is? I help with a show in Indiana and am always looking for fun classes to add.
Oh, it’s SUPER fun. I got 2nd out of 21 in it last year with a late 30′s Appy gelding!
You and the horse are the only ones in the ring. Before you get to the start line, you have to let go of the horse (he’s just in a halter). You can carry any kind of food you want that doesn’t spill (therefore no hay). Grain in a bucket typically works best. You run and the horse has to follow you through a course of poles, barrels, whatever. I had the old Appy cantering after me – if I could have run faster, we’d probably have won it!
Obviously, some common sense must apply – don’t do this with a horse who is aggressive at feeding time or does not respect your personal space. It is a VERY cute class with old rescue horses who are still SUPER excited about food!
How cool! Add that class! Wait… where in Indiana? I’m not much into showing anymore, but I’m a sucker for fun shows and off the wall classes.
It’s true that dogs can become sensitized to loud noises, thunderstorms, etc due to one traumatic experience. My parents shepherd was home alone when a tornado blew through the town. It didn’t come near their house but ever after, the dog would be terrified and back uncontrollably during storms. She was even bothered by storms 25 miles away — she could still hear them!
For the dog, 1/2 a pill and ear plugs. Leashed when outside at all times. Last year she wouldn’t even pee. We all had to be outside for her to feel safe. Cats look up if there’s a loud bang. My mare thought they were pretty, they could see the harbor fireworks.
Daddy is babysitting this year. I just made reservations to take my mom on the bay cruise to watch the show. May be her last.
I think the local police program has really been working. The neighborhood has been pleasantly quiet. It used to sound like a war zone.
Happy and Safe 4th. God Bless America!
Bribe your Horse sounds right up Joy’s alley- neat way for an old been there done that horse to have some fun too. Joy was a 4H loaner horse- lots of newbies gamed on her. INCOMING!!!!! hanging out with 4 dogs- it’s staring to get more intense- as darkness closes in…at least I’m not still living on the reservation- you could buy anything there as long as you had an Indian buddy to light them and were on private property not forest service land everything up to scud missles were OK
I’m pretty lucky. My horses like to watch the fireworks. I tried to get pictures the second year but when they see me they come to me. I do have one dog that is extremely afraid of thunderstorms, fireworks, vehicles backfiring…any loud noise. I just bring her in and she’s fine. All my cats are indoors so no worries there thank goodness.
It sounded like a civil war was happening tonight. My OTTB did not bat an eye. Hooray for him. The other boarders’ horses? Well… that’s another story.
Put my horses in and went to lunch with the folks, first time the house has been empty in a month. I left one of the side doors open for ventilation. Came back home and they’re all out in the pasture. No one who’s supposed to have access to the house came over. I guess it’s that time of year for our neighbors to be FUCKING JACKASSES. Bet they were hoping we would be gone until after a fireworks show.
OMG…hope everyone is ok. Time for that security camera.
Ummm … speak of the devil?
http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20100704/NEWS/100704008/-1/SPORTS12/24-injured-at-Bellevue-parade-after-spooked-horses-trample-crowd
http://www.examiner.com/x-12767-US-Headlines-Examiner~y2010m7d4-24-people-injured-during-horse-stampede-at-Iowa-4th-of-July-parade
The stats on one article I read were over the moon! Something like 200 people (mostly children) injured when the horses stampeded down a sidewalk at a parade?!
Oops, I meant to say 20 people injured. But apparently there were at least a hundred people in the path of the stampeding horses and wagon.
Yeah, I figured I’d get a barrage of bad stories. But I’d like to report that at this moment, it is the end of the fireworks displays here around my house. Our neighbors two houses down were setting off fireworks (which are illegal here in AZ because of the severe fire hazard) with tons of light and noise. Our horses looked up a few times, my husband’s gelding snorted and got mad, but then they went back to eating. I was out with them. We even have a 7 week old foal here and he was the most nonchalant of them all. Then I came in the house and my dogs and cats are all normal and hanging out, not hiding or afraid.
HR, you said: “As a staff member of several clinics..I can say that we would fill our kennels with loose and injured animals!†So have you?
Alphamare, it could have been some kind of change in his/her hearing that caused the behavior change. Any change due to old age, an injury, an ear infection, whatever can have a very strong effect on their very sensitive hearing. I knew a dog owner who had the same issue, and it was because of a change in the dogs’ ear canal after a very severe ear infection.
Horrible tragedy unfolding here. It just goes to show, bad things can happen – no matter what.
http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/07/04/iowa.horses.loose/index.html?hpt=T2
This happened not far from where I am, and word travelled very fast. These supposedly were horses that had been in parades numerous time without incident. My sympathies to their families.
A Lady had died from her injuries when a team of horses pulling a wagon ran amuck for 6 to 8 blocks.
Bellevue, IA. You can blog up to date qrticles as they come out.
23 others were injured…..some seriously and now one fatality.
So sad.
I am so saddened that I can not even blog about this. I have seen crazy parade participants and wondered when someone would get hurt. 60 years old is too young to die and there are kids also involved so this is just first reports. Just happened yesterday.
Latest is that the driver’s wife was killed when she was thrown from the cart/
It’s Monday morning, July 5th, and I sure wish I’d read this blog yesterday! We have a herd of 5 geldings that we bring in every night. We arrived home at 9:15 (twilight) and started bringing them in. Fireworks were booming all over the countryside and they were running in a sweat. We finally got them all in their stalls. At eleven, I went to the barn to investigate as I heard kicking and blowing. Our usually calm QH was in a sweat, pacing, pawing and circling. I opened the grain door to give him hay to distract him and he made to climb out of the grain door. Never anything like this in years past, but maybe we had gotten them inside before it started. The ear puffs will be tried next year as will getting them in early with extra hay, fans on, low music and barn doors shut. I should know to read you every day! Ha!
Oddly enough, my dog actually loves fireworks. Although I don’t think she quite associates the noise with the lights for whatever reason, but she will wag her tail and turn her head and watch them go off, and then growl and bark at the noise. She’s a brave soul though…so it doesn’t surprise me that they don’t scare her. My cats, on the other hand, are nowhere to be found when fireworks are going off!