Happy 4th of July everyone! But it may not be happy for all our animals. Some of them just can’t handle it.

Now let’s think about all the “war horses”. They weren’t bothered by artillery fire. People shoot guns off the backs of horses now and in days past. It’s all a matter of how you condition your horses. Now dogs on the other hand, are not always interested in working through this particular problem.

So here we face another 4th of July. Are you prepared, and do you know how your horse will take to it?

Now the horses that have been here for a year or more are fine with it. I have never had a horse on the property that wasn’t okay with the pretty sights and loud sounds. It might have something to do with Florida and all the intense lightening strikes we have, or maybe it’s something else. I like to feed early and be home for the 4th of July evenings, just in case. My horses are all turned out in their pastures. They actually like to watch the fireworks. They run down to the pond to get a better view. But this year I have two new horses who I don’t know. I’ve put calls out to their owners to see if they have any idea of what reaction to expect. One is a hunt horse and probably has heard gun fire before. The one from Germany, I’m not really sure. The owner said he was put in the barn and seemed to do fine. He’s the curious sort and would probably like to watch, but he also uses any excuse to run around.

So the question is do you put them in or leave them out? I really believe they prefer being out. They can see what’s making the noise and if they want to get away from it they can go to the other end of the pasture. I worry that they will feel trapped in their stalls. They can’t see what’s going on, but they hear the noise. They are confined and can’t run away. Now if you have a horse that will panic, running away might not be a good idea, especially if they’ll run through a fence.

So it’s really up to you and your horse. You know him/her better than anyone. If you have a small paddock that they stay in, there is no place to run to.

It’s a judgement call, and you are the judge. Have a safe happy 4th. You might also consider conditioning your horse through the year to prepare him for the 4th of July next year.