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Happy. New Year - fireworks!

By:
MaggieF, Melbourne - Australia
Date:
Hello! 100 lessons completed 150 lessons completed 200 lessons completed 250 lessons completed

Happy New Year to everyone! I can breathe again now that New Year Eve is over - worst night of the year for me as I spend it between trying to pacify my terrified horses by feeding them carrots and quietly stroking and talking to them and cuddling my poor shaking dogs on me bedroom floor where we all bed down for a sleepless night. It is meant to be illegal in Australia for private individuals to buy sky rockets etc. but more and more people seem to be able to acquire them each year - I guess via the internet. The local Town Councils always put on a fireworks display which is noisy enough but acceptable but in recent years more and more individual householders are including fireworks in their New Year parties especially so where I live on the outskirts of Melbourne in an area zoned for 5 acre blocks. It was horrific last night as my adjacent neighbours let off about 8 rockets some over the top of us with one landing on the roof. My Shetland pony who still has sore hooves is enclosed in a little yard next to my house by himself and he was terrified . My other horses were scared but not too bad. My QH who is the boss horse was a calming influence. Interesting as he is my spooky one but 12 years ago when I first bought him for my parent's property we had an annoying neighbour who continually shot with a shot gun next to his paddock and that desensitised him - he was sleeping when I went up last night! Wouldn't it be a better place for horses and all animals if fireworks could be banned successfully beyond the major city displays?

Rahni (Sydney, Australia)
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Happy New Year to you too Maggie and everyone else on here as well! :)
We had a quiet evening with no loud noises at our place. We live in a similar area - semi rural/small acreage properties, but our immediate neighbours are all elderly so it was a quiet night up our end of the street.
Im glad you were able to keep your animals from totally freaking out Maggie.

MaggieF, Melbourne - Australia
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Thanks Rhani - yes so lucky I had no injuries! Quite jealous of your street!

Miriam (Holland&Germany)
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Happy New Year all!
Could you have your horses stabled for a couple of nights before New Year's Eve and get them used to a radio, getting louder and louder, so loud that in the end all other noises are covered by it. Windows that show lightning could be covered for the purpose, too.
No fireworks are better, but since we cannot influence it, this could be an option for next year.
Best wishes for a good 2014!
Miriam

phantommustang1 Walsenburg, Colorado, USA
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Happy New Year, everybody! No issues here, nobody lives close to our horses, and our neighbors here are both elderly so no fireworks at all, or any noise. Very quiet night.

Horse addict (From the good old USA)
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Happy New Year everyone! I didn't hear any fireworks where I am I guess it's too cold Lol!

Rahni (Sydney, Australia)
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great idea Miriam :)

Kicki -- Sweden
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Happy New Year everyone from Sweden!
I'm so lucky that my horses don't care at all about the "thunder and lightning".

MaggieF, Melbourne - Australia
Hello! 100 lessons completed 150 lessons completed 200 lessons completed 250 lessons completed

So pleased others and their horses welcomed in the New. Year better than we did. Chester was the worst and he now has sore hooves again despite his sand yard. Poor little fellow had a rocket let off right over him. Didn't expect it to be so bad as I didn't know that my not so desirable hoon driving neighbours had acquired fireworks to add to their usual noise. Two other neighbours have recently sold their places because of them but if we sold my husband would wont to move to a urban block. Yuck! This year I will stable Chester next to my other horses in their shelter shed. The others were not too bad - Tricka was shaking but her mother, Pie, was always terrified of fireworks too. The fireworks were just too close this New Year!

MaggieF, Melbourne - Australia
Hello! 100 lessons completed 150 lessons completed 200 lessons completed 250 lessons completed

So pleased others and their horses welcomed in the New. Year better than we did. Chester was the worst and he now has sore hooves again despite his sand yard. Poor little fellow had a rocket let off right over him. Didn't expect it to be so bad as I didn't know that my not so desirable hoon driving neighbours had acquired fireworks to add to their usual noise. Two other neighbours have recently sold their places because of them but if we sold my husband would wont to move to a urban block. Yuck! This year I will stable Chester next to my other horses in their shelter shed. The others were not too bad - Tricka was shaking but her mother, Pie, was always terrified of fireworks too. The fireworks were just too close this New Year!

MaggieF, Melbourne - Australia
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Oops! Pressed twice - hope our technical experts can delete one for me!

Denea
Hello! 2014 Cyberhunt winner 100 lessons completed 150 lessons completed 200 lessons completed 250 lessons completed 300 lessons completed 350 lessons completed 400 lessons completed

Hi Maggie, Happy New Year from Perth. Thankfully where I'm stabled is at the bottom of the Perth Hills so no fireworks allowed that way due to being a major fire hazard. I hate to suggest it but maybe if you find they are extremely uncomfortable with loud noises such as storms and fireworks (and rather than giving up your property) you could consider something like a mild sedative for the few days leading up to the storm or that time of year. I had one horse I unfortunately had to have on Potassium Bromide for about a year as he was extremely headstrong and even with that would still hoon about his small paddock all day and be able to complete a full workout session (not that I ever asked him too do that much as a 4 yr old) and still be hot under the collar (so to speak) at night when he went into his yard.

You would only need to feed a small vitamin scoop (large tbsp) 1ce a day for a couple of days and it will just help keep them a little bit calmer. Sincerely hope you find an alternative or better neighbors though.

MaggieF, Melbourne - Australia
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Thinking of you and your horses to-day Denea in 45C degrees. Hope you managed to stay cool somehow. It will be our turn on Tuesday, 41C, as it is blowing across from you. Pity you couldn't keep it there! I will be hosing my horses down at regular intervals on Tuesday and fortunately we do have a pool to cool off in - no heater at present so very refreshing! Cool here to-day and to-morrow so I am enjoying trying to ride all my horses. Thanks for the thought re sedation - three of mine were OK - my little Shetland was the worst and that was because he was shut in his little sand yard next to our house as his hooves are still troublesome. No fireworks are allowed in our area either because of fire danger and restrictions but that doesn't seem to stop some people and the restrictions are not policed. Most of our neighbours are great - just one family that are very noisy and annoying.

MaggieF, Melbourne - Australia
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Demean - do hope you are OK and that the brushfire was NOT in your area. Take care and stay safe.

Denea
Hello! 2014 Cyberhunt winner 100 lessons completed 150 lessons completed 200 lessons completed 250 lessons completed 300 lessons completed 350 lessons completed 400 lessons completed

Hi Maggie, your very welcome. We're having lovely weather this week but weekend is supposed to be hot again. :-( The bushfire was just up the hill. About 15kms away. Hubby said he could see the flames as he was getting home Sunday night.:-(

MaggieF, Melbourne - Australia
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So pleased you are all OK Denea - apologies for spelling your name so badly - blame my iPad as it has a mind of its own! Also pleased you have good weather this week - ours is awful 40C degrees plus each day - 44 yesterday - and very scary re bushfires. We had one about 6 kilometres away yesterday in Kangaroo Ground. Cleaned all the gutters etc this morning but can't start my fire pump! Poor tennis players I feel for them at the Australian Open.

Denea
Hello! 2014 Cyberhunt winner 100 lessons completed 150 lessons completed 200 lessons completed 250 lessons completed 300 lessons completed 350 lessons completed 400 lessons completed

Thats cool Maggie. My tablet has a mind of its own too. Not good about the heat. One of the reasons i don't miss Vic. Hope you can get your fire pump started.

Tiggy, Tears
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Hi Maggie, it's "supposed" be illegal here in the UK to have fireworks apart from Nov 5th, but we suffer them at any time of year!! Mine fortunately LOVE them & will watch the flaming things. We had over New Year both fireworks & a thunderstorm. Mine didnt care but we had the Vet at 2am for friends horse as we think he banged his head on the door frame then got stress colic, he is a wally at 18 hands the brain isn't always awake. He was ok but we were worried.

MaggieF, Melbourne - Australia
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Thanks Tiggy. I am pleased yours are so good. One of mine is fine which helps. The dogs are the worst!

Tiggy, Tears
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Oh tell me, when we owned the house (the land has always been rented), it's like ww3 going off around the valley!! I was away & other half was home the dogs were shaking like mad in the yard, they managed to break 3 mugs that the other half took out, horses merrily watching the rockets going off!

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