Dead horse found tangled in wire after fireworks display
Another owner is calling for a ban on the sale of fireworks to the general public following the death of her horse.
Karen Mills’ two-year-old gelding Shiloh was found dead in his field, tangled in wire fencing, on Monday morning (7 November).
Wirral-based Ms Mills believes the coloured youngster was spooked by fireworks and this led to the accident, as there were nearby displays taking place.
“I had a phone call on Monday morning to say that he was caught up in fencing,” she told H&H.
“That was it, he was dead when I found him. You could see where he had slipped, and his back leg was caught in the wire.
“There were skid marks everywhere where the horses had been galloping around.
“It’s devastating — I can’t explain how it feels. You always think these things only happen to someone else but they don’t.”
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Ms Mills owns Shiloh’s mother, who was in foal with Shiloh when she bought her at auction.
“He had been competing in-hand for the last year,” she said.
“You could do anything with him, he was just fabulous. It’s heartbreaking.”
Shiloh was in the field with Ms Mills’ rescue horse Ryan.
“Ryan was with him all the time,” said Ms Mills.
“He is a nervous horse and doesn’t like humans — it’s difficult to get near him now.”
Ms Mills is calling for a ban on the sale of fireworks to the general public.
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As well as getting on board existing campaigns, she hopes to start her own petition in Shiloh’s memory and plans to write to her local MP.
“We will be heard but more petitions will help,” she added.
To sign a petition on the government website, which is calling for a ban on the sale of fireworks to the public, click here.
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Rachael joined Horse & Hound in 2014, initially as a digital sub editor then became part of the news team as a writer in 2015. The philosophy graduate studied journalism at the Press Association before working as a local reporter at the Brentwood Gazette. Rachael is now a mum of two and still loves all things equestrian, including hacking, dressage and jumping with her cob Bert. Rachael left the H&H staff to go freelance in June 2019, but still contributes to our magazine and website, as well as our sister magazine Country Life, among others.