Many horse owners will be concerned about fireworks over the New Year: even with many of us living with lockdown restrictions there will be people having private displays at home. We have covered fireworks previously in our Fireworks Survey and even approached MP Marco Longhi, details of which we have released again for your benefit, click here. And we are sure you are aware of the dangers of Sky Lanterns too, but as they can cause serious injury and even death we wanted to cover this topic again with New Year celebrations around the corner!
The BHS has teamed up with the NFU to raise awareness and has issued a warning about the use of sky lanterns and asked people NOT to buy them. According to the NFU more than 200,000 sky lanterns are sold each year and released. Many people are unaware of the devastating injuries and even death they can cause to horses and livestock. It’s not just the risk of burn injuries to animals, it’s also the fact that they are made with wire that can also cause serious injury if eaten or if animals are entangled in them so please check your fields. There is also a fire risk to barns, stables and outbuildings – they are quite simply bad news for us equestrians.
Alan Hiscox, Director of Safety at The British Horse Society, said:
“Sky lanterns and fireworks may be enjoyable for some people, but they can cause considerable trauma or distress to horses. We would urge anyone planning on setting them off during the festive period to consider the effect it may have on local animals and the potential fire risk to stables or outbuildings.”
The BHS asks all horse owners to please report any incidents involving sky lanterns or fireworks, however long ago, at www.horseincidents.org.uk
