Fireworks and Horses...how'd everyone do?

[fergusnc]

This was my first 4th of July experience with horses at my home. And though we owned the fixer upper farm last July 4th we didn't live on site yet. So I had no concept of what the neighbors typically did....though I had been told it was mostly tame. Well, I think the newer neighbors scattered about may have changed that.

The horses hear plenty of gun shots now and then, and have seen lots of heavy equipment lately, but I had no idea of Dallas' background with fireworks. Fergus has been at a few barns where displays happened close by (and one year, one at the actual boarding farm in one of the fields, which still makes me shake my head in disbelief). Saturday night I checked on them during some loud, isolated booms with no lights....no big reactions, they just ate. Last night I went to check on them, and as I opened the garage door, I saw a sky full of lights, about 4 or 5 ten+ acre properties down the road....and it was LOUD. I called back to DH that I needed him to come out, not knowing what I'd find at the barn, and took off running down the driveway in my pajamas. I was calling out calming words and announcements, in a calm but loud voice, as I ran. I found them in the far end of their barnyard, side by side, just watching the lights. As soon as I got to the fence, Dallas came straight to me, like he was saying "oh good, you're here, any idea what is going on?" Then Fergus marched over as if to give me the Official Report. They were confused and alert, but staying still. DH came down and we both stood with them at the fenceline, and all was fine until neighbors about the same distance in the OTHER direction started as well...so the horses didn't know which way to watch. Add this to really deep booms from far off, all around us, at varying distances. They stayed very sensible until the second neighbors set off the kind that whistle really loudly on the way up and then crack and pop as the color rains down. That was a problem, and we got some passage and some spins, but as long as the humans stayed still, they stayed pretty close and never crossed over into full panic mode, thank goodness. I tried to leave DH with them so I could walk around the outside of the pastures to get to the hay barn...just to be safe and not get trampled in the dark in the barnyard with them...and they followed me like puppies. It made me feel good to know they took comfort in us being there.

I sent DH back up to check on the dogs, and once the boys were standing with a foot cocked each, I headed back to the house, thinking we were pretty well done. Wrong.

Neighbor number two started back up with a ton of noise, and I sat at a back window trying to keep track of the shadow outlines. I forced myself not to go back down to check on them 20 times, but stayed wide awake even once I went to bed. I'd say that start to finish, with lulls and full on displays, the experience was about two hours. Sometime after I finally fell asleep I was awakened by an absurdly loud CRACK of thunder, followed by a few more like it, as a short but loud storm rolled through. I woke up extra early and walked down far enough to do a head count, then came back up to start to dog/cat routine. Everyone is pretty pooped around here.

I had thought I'd ride this morning, but realized how unfair that was....figured the horses would be exhausted after trying to process all that happened last night. They were a little out of sorts at breakfast time, but getting them into their routine helped, and there were lots of sighs and deep breathes. Within a few minutes in the grassy pasture, Fergus was laying flat out...only the second time I have seen him down since he came home 4 months ago. Poor guy.

Last week I had a full day of tree work done. I was really concerned about how the horses would react. At least six guys, several types of vehicles and machinery, never more than 100' from the horses. Guys hanging over trees in cherry pickers, guys with chain saws climbing up trees like monkeys and swinging from place to place like Tarzan, about 6 hours of nonstop chipper noise. Guys yelling loudly and deeply to each other. And the horses did NOTHING. They were interested now and again, watched for about 10 seconds, then went right back to grazing. But one day when I walked into Fergus stall to feed and I had a plastic grocery bag flattened out and tucked in my waistband, sticking out maybe six inches, he flew backwards about 4', snorting and had laser vision right at that bag.

[Suzon]

Fortunately, this year, the dog has gone deaf. He used to suffer terribly because we live in a neighborhood where illegal fireworks are a tradition and it sounds like a war zone for hours. People have been lighting M80s and M1000s for two weeks now and he sleeps right through it. The joys of an old dog.

[texsuze]

Ah, memories of my "first 4th of July in the country with horse at home" Surprisingly, neither the Registered Sex Offender, nor The Survivalist families on our road set off their ordnance the entire weekend. But, this being the 4th itself, all bets are off for tonight. Two nearby towns are having their displays tonight (plus a free Robert Earl Keen concert!) so my oldster and I get the view of at least two displays from his turnout pen. Plus, with most landowners within spitting distance having a closet full of semi-autos at hand, I fully expect lots of noise this evening. I worry more about my hens than my oldster!

[redsoxluvr]

Tonight will be the worst of it. We had to sedate our Oldenburg gelding last night. We had foolishly thought that there would
be no fireworks last night but we were wrong. Our guy goes into blind panic mode and there is no bringing him back once he gets set off.
We fully expect that tonight will be far worse, as this is when our local mega churches are having their professional displays.

Sedation will be deployed prior to zero dark thirty. I hate my neighbors.

[fergusnc]

Our dogs actually didn't care at all, versus when we lived in our last house...older neighborhood with .5-1.0 acre lots, and people shot off there in the streets....our poor Gunny was a wreck there. I have a friend whose dog freaked out so badly he bolted and fell down the inside stairs...had never done something like that...and dislocated his shoulder. Poor animals don't understand.

I dropped the ball last night...didn't expect much. My mistake. DH said "oh there won't be anything tonight since people go back to work in the morning" but I don't trust that and will be better prepared. I am going to add a little rescue remedy and drop some more Smartpak Ultra Calm in tonight's oatmeal...thankfully last night I had given them each 1/2 dose, so at least they had a little help. And I will have hay more easily accessible closer to the house so I don't have to weave my way through a hay barn that doesn't have electricity. The towns vaguely close to us did their formal stuff Friday and Saturday nights, maybe one further off was last night but it was mostly light and little noise. I feel really fortunate that my boys handled it like they did....I know some just can't take it. One acquaintance had a horse on stall rest, already jumpy and restless because of it, can't handle too many drugs due to some sort of allergy or reaction, and fireworks happen quite close to where he is. Can't be hauled due to stall rest related injury. You'd have to sedate ME if that was my situation!

[Woost2]

I've just been assuming tonight is the night. Horse is out of town amid many acres of cornfields. My dog isn't too bothered but the loud crack out of nowhere can send him into a barking fit. I'm proactive because one big startle can be the start of a slippery slope to big fear. So, windows closed, AC on, TV on, dishwasher on (I've been saving up all week). Saturday night they were at it randomly until 3 a.m. I'm expecting extended barrage tonight. A$$holes.

[khall]

We had more fireworks and closer (just on the other side of our north pasture) than ever before. All in full view of one of my pastures with my 2 yr old in it. The other horses were shielded from the view by trees but not the noise (mine though are quite used to gun shots and occasional sonic boom). None of the dogs were terribly bothered thank goodness and the horses were very unconcerned. I went to check on the field with the 2 yr old, she came over to say HI the others never stopped grazing. Very pleased! Whew!

I have found out that mine tend to do better out in the field rather than up in stalls, so I have never kept them up when anticipating fireworks.

[Kyra's Mom]

I had one horse that just couldn't handle fireworks. After babysitting him a couple years and nearly getting myself trampled the 2nd year I did that, I just took them out in the country and boarded them...my rented pasture was right in town about a mile from the big FW show besides all the neighbors and their (il)legal FW's. He was much more relaxed in a stall with lots of buddies. Most of my horses have tolerated the insanity just fine but not this one.

Current mare is boarded at a place that only has one really close neighbor. They have never shot off FW. Now a new neighbor so here's hoping. Mare usually tolerates gun shots (goose hunting in the adjoining field) fine. Fingers crossed because I work until 11:30pm.

Susan

[fergusnc]

It was also ungodly humid with awful heat index here today, so the boys are pretty wrung out. I am hoping that if the madness continues tonight, they may be too tired to do much. The extra hay is already at the driveway gate, ready to be spread as the sun sets. I just fed and added my "extras" to the oatmeal. I am hoping that last night's hosts used up all their fireworks during their prolonged shows, and that they didn't save any for tonight...though that doesn't keep different neighbors from hosting tonight I guess. We have a 250 acre nursery directly across from us, with about 600 empty acres at the end of their corner property and about 50 acres of corn on their other side. I have 50 acres of cows with non-firework-setting neighbor's on one side of me and about 30 acres of quiet neighbors beside horse owners on the other side...and the dead end road behind us, as well as our road, is really quiet...yet our cushion is not big enough for how crazy loud those things can be.

At the boarding place prior to our move, they had a party once and set off (apparently) a full-on FWs show, out in the back field. Their plan was to stall everyone and turn on the radio and fans. The entire farm was 50 acres and the party was not terribly far from the barn, considering. My horse was out mostly 24/7 though on full board and I struggled with what to do...decided to leave him out with his geriatric buddy who was not a knee-jerk type reactor. Apparently they both ran some at the onset, but calmed down per the wonderful caretaker of the place. The fireworks were super visible from their field. When I asked how all the horses did, I was given a generic "fine" from others, but the caretaker pulled me aside and gave me details, knowing I had been worried. He told me the stalls of most of the horses left inside were trashed, and that my boy and his then-buddy really did the best. Poor guy took it upon himself to come check on everyone a few times during the night. A gem was lost when he got away.

At one barn, we were about 1/2 mile up the road from a country club that did a huge display every year, for decades. It became a yearly tradition/party for the biarders and students of my then-trainer to have a potluck party ourselves, and babysit all the horses while listening to their music-accompanied fireworks. And also try to help with our trainer's stress level. We had owners and adult students, young students and their parents stationed at stalls. We helped our trainer get the couple of horses that needed sedation sedated. It was actually fun because the the horses did well and we had one hell of a team. Fergus was three years old for that first experience at that barn, so maybe it helped him as he got older and had other experiences. The kids knew that brushing his face/forelock made him chill out, so throughout the night he'd have little humans lined up to take their turn from over his stall door...it was quite cute.

[chantal]

We had a ton of neighborhood fireworks last night and sat out on our deck and listened to them with our dog last night. He laid down on his bed and just hung out with us. Today he wanted to march in the parade with the marching bands. One of the trumpet players cracked up while he was playing because he saw him straining to join them. Apparently noise doesn't bother him at all. It's raining here tonight so most fireworks are delayed until tomorrow.

[Koolkat]

I'd like to think they are going to stop soon, it's 10:45 and we have to go to work tomorrow. . . . Why do the people with the least amount of $$ to spend seem to spend the most on this stuff?

Horses were mostly OK during the day except for KK, she was on high alert, but as long as the other 2 were calm, there was no running. They're in the barn now with the front door closed and the classical music on loud.

Good night and good luck.

[Dreamer]

It's been a rough 3 days of it here. I live on a lake and people come here to escape and play. Not only do they shoot them off at night but they do the sonic boom type fireworks randomly throughout the day. My horses do ok but I can only imagine what goes through their head. It does make them spook if they are in the pasture and I noticed many more turd piles from one guy from nerves. It's really not smart to try to ride during this time. Sunday night neighbors were still shooting them off at 1:15 am!

[fergusnc]

Sweet DH, "there won't be anymore fireworks tonight, people have to work Tuesday."
It turned out to be just as bad as Sunday night.

I went down and fed them watermelon during the sonic booms...wondered if I could pair a beloved treat with scary stuff and make the scary stuff better. Then I just hung out and talked to them. They actually ran more last night than the night before...I wondered if they had any reasoning about trends? Or if they were just more edgy from being hot and tired, versus being exhausted from being hot and tired.

Dallas made me fall for him all over again....several times he came to me at the fenceline....I could see the whites of his eyes in the dark. He reached out for me with his nose and I reached out my hand. He would press hi muzzle firmly against my knuckles and and just breathe, staring right at my face, like he was trying to ground himself. He stayed that way for up to 30 seconds at at time and he'd walk off. The whole time me I would repeat, " we are here with you. We are here with you. We are here with you." And he'd give the slightest exhale.

They were calmer this morning than they were yesterday morning. Tired, but not edgy.

I really don't get the fascination. I saw "my" doe and heron this morning and I wondered what the heck poor wildlife do....hunker down? Run like hell? Are more hit by cars at this time of year? Do they die from running past exhaustion, broken legs or injuries, fear? And I wonder if FWs are bad for the atmosphere....and if they are, how many of the people using them privately in neighborhoods or lake communities (versus more rural country) also complain about hurting the environment with pick up trucks or cars or any other reasons?

I agree BTW...not a good time of tear the ride...even in the morning...have already heard one boom this morning.

[PaulaO]

The one thing I do not miss about owning Bob was his reaction to loud noises, particularly fireworks. He was evening Aced, starting a few days before the 4th. Stall window closed, fan on, and he still reacted, but not like he used to without drugs. Before Ace, he would try to bolt through his stall door. We would put him out with his best buddy and he would just run in a blind panic. I was about at my breaking point. One year I accidentally jabbed myself with the Ace needle and thought "fine, I'll be as relaxed as he is."

Why do the people with the least amount of $$ to spend seem to spend the most on this stuff?

This times 10.

[Tarlo Farm]

Sunday was worse in my neighborhood than last night. Ironically, where I live now - closer to town - is way worse than were I lived before, out in the country. My country folks are just too pragmatic to simply create loud noises for loud noises.

I HATE fireworks by neighbors.

[PaulaO]

I have no problems with the legal fireworks displays put on by towns or communities. They are big, pretty, and controlled. I have every issue with the @ssholes who blow up illegal fireworks just to hear noise. I read over the weekend that the wildlife panics just like our anipals. I never even thought about that.

I love Dallas grounding himself. What a guy.

[Suzon]

Fortunately my horses could really give a crap. They're just that way. They get all excited about nothing, but the big stuff, meh. The goats and the donkey just kinda live through it.

I tried to video from our back porch last night, but apparently I don't know crap about making a video because I screwed each one up. It's basically a war zone. Every year for a month prior, the news has stories about how Oakland is cracking down on illegal fireworks and then it's literally a free for all. I mean every street with BIG professional illegal fireworks. And it goes on and on and on and on, all night.

So glad the dog went deaf.

[Silverado]

I can't believe this but this year…I did not hear one firecracker…quiet and peaceful. Now…if you want to talk about bears in the neighborhood…that's a different story.

[fergusnc]

I can't believe this but this year…I did not hear one firecracker…quiet and peaceful. Now…if you want to talk about bears in the neighborhood…that's a different story.

I think that statement may just require some photos! Awwwww....and eeeeek all at the same time!