A Parliament debate on restrictions on the sale of fireworks has been scheduled next month – as a survey suggests 97% of horse owners want tougher regulations.
The debate will take place at 4.30pm on Monday 9 December and Redwings has urged owners to contact their MPs to ask them to get involved.
“We are aware of so many awful and avoidable instances of horses being frightened, hurt, escaped and even killed as a result of the use of fireworks this autumn and change is long overdue,” said Redwings policy and campaigns manager Helen Whitelegg.
“Redwings has put together a template letter to help people to contact their MP to ask them to get involved in the conversation around this important issue as more opportunities arise in the coming weeks.”
The charity conducted a fireworks survey at Your Horse Live (8-10 November) and of the 179 participants, 97% said they wanted more regulations on restricting the use of fireworks. 81% of respondents said they are worried about the effects of fireworks on their horse, and of the owners whose horses had been affected by fireworks, 65% said their horses were nervous and agitated, 21% reported injury and illness, and 4% reported the death of their horse.
A Redwings spokesperson said the charity has received several calls and emails from concerned owners in the past few weeks. Michelle, an owner from Merseyside, contacted the charity after her horse was so frightened by fireworks on 5 November that he injured her, resulting in her needing surgery.
“There were adults in the cemetery car park right behind his stable letting off very loud fireworks, and he was so stressed that he reared up and landed his front hooves on the stable door and onto my left hand,” said Michelle.
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“Luckily my partner managed to push him down, and he wasn’t hurt, but my middle finger was very badly cut so I had to go straight to hospital. My whole hand was swollen, and I had to go to trauma plastics for them to treat the tendon damage and a fracture to my finger.
“I called the police the next day, but they said that the people setting the fireworks off hadn’t broken the law.”
The Redwings spokesperson added that every year horses die and are injured because of fireworks.
“The people who love them – like Michelle – can also be very distressed and even injured as a result,” he said.
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Since joining H&H in 2018, Becky has covered a broad range of equestrian news including welfare matters, veterinary studies, FEI Tribunal hearings and road safety campaigns. She has also interviewed top riders including Scott Brash, John Whitaker and Ian Stark, to name just a few. Becky’s reporting has taken her to Canada for Spruce Meadows and France for Pau five-star, as well as the Royal Highland and Blair Castle International Horse Trials closer to home. She was also a key part of the remote reporting team for the Tokyo Olympics and the Europeans.
