Probably the most stressful night for most horses and their owners is coming up - New Year's Eve! Will there be loud bangs and bright rockets in the sky again?
Here are a few tips to help you and your horse get through the coming New Year's Eve as stress-free as possible. You can, of course, prepare your horse for this night in the form of calmness training. In this way, your horse can learn to remain relaxed in stressful situations where there are bangs, rustling and lights. If your horse is not the most relaxed type, you should take a few precautions for this night to ensure that everything in the stable remains relaxed.
Of course, every horse is different and reacts differently to stressful situations. Therefore, care should be taken to ensure that the horses remain calm and that there is no outbreak of stress that keeps the whole stable on its toes.
It varies from horse to horse whether it is best kept in a box, in the pasture or in an open stable. However, for a special night like New Year's Eve, it may be best to keep the horse in a closed box or, if possible, close the open stable.
This minimises the risk of the horses going through the fence if panic breaks out. You also have better control over your horse in general if it panics. In addition, windows should be closed so that fireworks cannot fly into the box and, in the worst case, injure your horse or set the bedding on fire.
However, if you can't or don't want to put your horse inside, you should make sure that the fence is in order and that there is enough electricity.
Once you have decided where your horse is best kept on New Year's Eve, there are a few more precautions you can take to ensure a stress-free New Year's Eve.
Leave the lights on in the stable so that the horses are less aware of the light and the flashes of the rockets.
Stay in the stable and speak calmly to the horses.
Special earplugs for very sensitive and noise-sensitive horses (known from gallop racing), these dampen loud, harsh noises.
Check the paddock and pasture for firework remains before the horses come out the next day to ensure that the horses do not accidentally swallow small pieces of plastic or similar.
And if you want to take targeted preventative measures for the coming New Year's Eve or other foreseeable acute stress situations, we recommend our Equine 74 Stomach Calm Relax. This is a paste that is administered orally to horses prone to stress. On the one hand, it has buffering properties so that excess acid caused by stress is absorbed. On the other hand, the paste covers the stomach contents like a film, preventing the aggressive stomach acid from reaching the anterior glandless area of the stomach and attacking the possibly pre-damaged, sensitive stomach lining.
Are you interested in why horses are prone to stress and what you can do to protect them from stressful situations? Read our comprehensive guide on stress, where you can learn about the 5 freedoms for analyzing stress triggers and more.