Firework season can be one of the most stressful times of the year for animals, and if you are working as a horse or hound freelancer, preparation becomes even more important.
You could be providing holiday cover, house sitting, yard cover, or hound care while owners are away so you need to know far more than where the feed is kept and what time the horses come in.
You need to know how those individual animals react when the bangs begin.
One horse may barely lift its head when fireworks go off. Another may sweat, pace, spin around its stable, or attempt to bolt. One dog might sleep through bangs and pops while another trembles, pants, hides or desperately tries to escape.
This is definitely not a situation where you want to discover their reaction for the first time at 8pm on Bonfire Night.
Ask the right questions before accepting the booking
If you're booked to care for horses or hounds around Bonfire Night, Diwali, New Year's Eve or another period when fireworks are likely, have a proper conversation with the owner beforehand.
Don't simply ask:
"Are they OK with fireworks?"
Ask exactly what happens.
Does the horse become unsettled but remain manageable?
Does it run around the field?
Does it need to be stabled?
Has it ever tried to jump a fence or stable door?
Does the dog hide? Bark? Shake? Pant? Refuse to go outside?
Try to escape through doors or windows?
Does it want someone sitting beside it?
You also need to establish what the owner normally does when fireworks are expected.
If something works for that particular animal, firework night isn't the time to completely change the routine.
Both the British Horse Society and Blue Cross recommend keeping horses in their familiar environment and maintaining their normal routine wherever possible.
Find out what's happening locally
Don't assume that fireworks will only happen on 5 November.
Displays can take place across several weekends, while private fireworks can happen unexpectedly throughout autumn and around New Year.
Before your booking, find out whether any organised displays are planned nearby.
Check local community pages, village groups, schools, pubs, sports clubs and event venues. If you're covering a yard, ask whether neighbouring properties normally hold displays.
The British Horse Society recommends finding out about nearby displays and, where possible, letting organisers and neighbours know that horses are kept close by.
Knowing that a display starts at 7.30pm is very different from hearing the first enormous bang unexpectedly while you're halfway through bringing horses in.
Have the owner's firework plan in writing
For a freelancer, this is particularly important.
Before the owner leaves, establish:
- whether horses should be in or out
- what time they should be brought in
- whether stable lights should remain on
- whether music is normally played
- whether a particular horse should remain beside a companion
- where the dog's normal safe place is
- whether curtains or blinds should be closed
- whether the television or radio is usually left on
- whether the dog normally seeks company or prefers to hide
- what signs indicate that the animal is becoming seriously distressed
- which vet should be contacted in an emergency
- who else should be contacted if you cannot reach the owner
- whether any veterinary medication has been prescribed, together with the owner's and vet's instructions for its use
Never improvise with medication or calming products belonging to an animal you're caring for.
If an animal has previously had a severe reaction to fireworks, that conversation really needs to happen before the owner goes away, so that appropriate veterinary advice can be obtained in advance.
Dogs Trust advises owners of dogs with significant firework fear to speak to their vet, who may recommend behavioural support or medication where appropriate.
Preparing horses before the fireworks begin
Check the horse's environment while it is still light.
If they're being stabled, look around the stable as though you're expecting a frightened 600kg animal to suddenly move around it.
Is there anything sharp or protruding? Could something fall? Is the floor slippery? Are doors and bolts secure?
If they're remaining outside, check fencing and gates and remove hazards from the field. Fireworks can trigger a horse's flight response, meaning the danger isn't simply that the horse becomes frightened. The real risk can be what happens after it becomes frightened.
The RSPCA advises making sure fencing and gates are secure.
Keep horses with their normal companions wherever possible too. A familiar routine, familiar surroundings and familiar horses can all reduce unnecessary additional change.
If a horse is normally kept outside, don't suddenly decide that Bonfire Night would be the perfect occasion to introduce it to a stable it has never used before.
Preparing hounds before darkness falls
Dogs should ideally have their main walk well before fireworks are likely to start. Once fireworks begin, keep them indoors wherever possible and be extremely careful around outside doors.
A frightened dog that has never previously attempted to escape can behave very differently when panicking.
Close windows and curtains to reduce the noise and flashes, and make sure their familiar safe area is accessible.
Dogs Trust advises allowing dogs to choose how they cope. Some want to hide, some seek reassurance, and others may still want to play.
That's important when you're looking after somebody else's dog.
Don't assume that because your own dog enjoys being cuddled during fireworks, this one will too.
Can music really help?
It can certainly be useful.
For horses, the British Horse Society and RSPCA both suggest using music to help soften or mask the sound of fireworks. The RSPCA specifically mentions classical music as one option.
For dogs, familiar television, radio or calming music can also help disguise some of the bangs. Dogs Trust has even developed a gentle piano-based Soft Sounds playlist for dogs. Do not suddenly blast loud music around an animal that isn't accustomed to it. You're trying to reduce sudden noise, not replace one startling experience with another.
If the owner normally leaves Radio 2 playing in the kitchen, for example, stick with what the dog recognises.
What about massage?
Touch can be incredibly reassuring to some animals, but this is where knowing the individual really matters.
If a dog comes to you for reassurance and normally enjoys being gently stroked, there is no reason to withhold affection. Blue Cross specifically advises that comforting and stroking a frightened dog is fine if it helps them relax. Gentle, familiar touch may be soothing.
But don't decide that firework night is the moment to introduce an unfamiliar massage technique to an already frightened animal.
The same applies to horses.
A horse that normally enjoys being groomed, scratched or quietly handled may find familiar contact relaxing. Another horse may become extremely reactive when frightened and need more physical space.
Your personal safety matters too.
Standing directly beside a panicking horse and trying to massage it could put you in a dangerous position.
Sometimes the best support isn't physical contact at all; it is simply being there.
Sometimes they just need company
For some horses and dogs, having a calm person nearby makes an enormous difference.
You don't necessarily need to constantly interact with them.
You may simply sit in the room with the dog while it sleeps behind the sofa.
You might remain quietly around the yard so that you can monitor the horses while allowing them space.
Your job isn't to force the animal to behave normally; it's to make its surroundings as safe and predictable as possible while monitoring how it is coping.
And importantly, stay calm yourself.
Both horse and dog welfare organisations repeatedly advise carers to behave calmly and normally.
Learn to recognise when stress is escalating
A frightened dog might: pant heavily, shake, drool, pace, bark, whine, hide, refuse food, become unusually clingy or repeatedly try to escape.
A frightened horse may become restless, run, sweat, call out, pace, spin or repeatedly attempt to move away from the noise.
This is why simply checking the animals once and disappearing for several hours isn't necessarily adequate firework-night care for an animal with a known fear.
If you've agreed to look after a horse or hound that seriously struggles with fireworks, you need to understand what level of supervision the owner expects.
What if an animal becomes extremely distressed?
This is where your preparation pays off.
First, concentrate on immediate safety.
Secure exits. Don't chase a panicking dog around the house or force it out of its hiding place.
Don't put yourself into a confined space with a horse that is violently panicking unless it is safe to do so.
Reduce flashes and external noise where possible and follow the owner's established plan.
If the behaviour goes beyond what the owner has described as normal, contact them. If you are seriously concerned about the animal's health, welfare or an injury, contact the veterinary practice you've been given.
This is another reason every freelancer should have veterinary details before the booking begins, not buried somewhere in a WhatsApp conversation while an emergency is unfolding.
Don't forget the morning after
Your responsibilities don't necessarily finish when the fireworks stop.
If horses have been outside, inspect their fields in daylight.
Firework debris can land in paddocks and may present a danger. The RSPCA specifically recommends checking fields following nearby displays. Check horses carefully for cuts or injuries and look at fencing, gates and water supplies.
With dogs, monitor their appetite, toileting and behaviour. Some animals remain unsettled long after the final firework has gone off.
Return them to their normal routine as much as possible.
Firework care is a responsibility, not just another booking
If you're offering horse care, hound care or house sitting through firework season, this is something worth discussing when taking the booking.
You could even add a simple question to your normal client checklist:
How does your animal react to fireworks and what is their usual firework routine?
It's a small question that can uncover a huge amount of important information.
As a freelancer, you may be the person responsible for somebody's much-loved horse or dog on one of the most stressful nights of its year.
Knowing the feed routine isn't enough.
- Know the animal.
- Know its behaviour.
- Know its safe place.
- Know what normally comforts it.
- Know what's happening locally.
And most importantly, know exactly what you will do before the first firework goes off.
You're invited to
TallyHO.
Want to be a TallyHO Freelancer?
