Love them or loathe them, fireworks are still legal, available in shops and going off willy nilly! With bonfire night and the bangers and whizzers flying, comes a whole host of worry and stress for animal parents nationwide. There are a few things that you might like to try to ease that stress a little bit this sparkler season.
Horses are routine lovers. We know how tempting it might be to want them in stables or barns whilst fireworks are being let off but try not to vary your horse’s routine or workload too much this weekend, stick to what they know. Equines are flight animals and chances are, would be less stressed if they had more spaces and visibility of their surroundings. The majority of field kept horses will be happiest staying in the field. Confining a horse to a stable when they are not used to it and not being able to locate the noise may well be more stressful for them. Consider if your horse REALLY needs to come inside or is it just where YOU would rather they be?
With this in mind:
💥 Check all your fixtures/fittings/fencing are secure and safe. Look for any protruding screws or nails in your stable, especially around the doorway as that is where your horse is likely to spend most of the night. Take unused rugs and grooming kits out of the stable and repair any broken rails or wire in their paddock.
💥 Outside assistance. Why not try turning a radio on and leaving it playing classical music on a fairly low volume, studies have shown that horses prefer the lower tone of classical as opposed to pop or chat stations.
💥Up the quantity of Calming Cookies &/or Calming Powder your horse usually has if necessary. Try feeding 2 at a time or 1 or 2 in the morning and the same again at night (6 Cookies can be fed in a 24-hr period. Calming powder can be fed in conjunction with Calming Cookies or dosage increased if needed. Always try to feed when your horse is more relaxed to help build up their levels prior to getting anxious.
🐶 It’s not always the horses that get stressed! Don’t forget your canine companions also find fireworks scary and are often found trembling like a furry jelly wedged behind the sofa. Consider upping their dose of our K9 Dog Cookies if required, again, start earlier in the day to help build their levels up.
👧 And if you’re feeling anxious and worried during this period too, try taking one of our Human Kalm Cookies before bed and then one in the morning.
