to expect neighbours of the field where my animals live, to warn me about sodding fireworks?

[Sparrowlegs248]

Just that really. 5Horses and some cows. Broken fencing, traumatised panicky animals. Not sure about injuries as too dark to tell. Had i been told that these particular morons neighbours were having fireworks i could have moved animals and administered sedatives. But no. No warning. From an elderly couple too. Annoyed isn't the word.

I've just seen a pic on Facebook where a friend of a friends dog chewed through a UPVC front door because of fireworks. This wasn't on firework night nor the closest weekend to it so not predictable or able to be planned for.

I have lived in the countryside for 45 years and in all that time there have been fireworks on 5th November.
WE have a horsefield at the bottome of our garden and they were taken in last night and the cows seem to have gone in now too.

Initgrand - I really don't care about that.

People need to realise the implications of their actions.
And also that taking horses and other livestock in for the night can often just take the problem away from public view. Horses can be just as scared when shut in a stable as they are out in the field, and can do themselves just as much damage. That isn't the answer.

I think we all know that fireworks aren't limited to 5th November.
I would be in favour of a complete stop to public sales, and only organised displays being legal. Not just because of the countryside issue, but because of the way fireworks are abused now, and the number of illegal and dangerous ones finding their way into the hands of the public.

YANBU. We have field which house backs on to, family there always come and pat horses etc, but last night decided to fire a load directly into their field! Madness! I expect them in the vicinity, but common courtesy for direct neighbours to let you know?

I am very, very lucky in that my horses are pretty good if fireworks aren't too close, and their field is big enough for them to be able to move about a bit to deal with what's happening. Also my near neighbours aren't inconsiderate fuckwits.

My friend about 3 miles away has 3 horses injured this year though, and the vets bills to go with it. This because neighbours decided that it would be nicer for them to set their fireworks off from the side of their house this year so that they were more sheltered from the elements, and shot the whole lot off over the field and stables. (Some horses were in, some out. The worst injured horse was in the stable). She lives in a very rural area. Some people have shit for brains.

I agree that it would have been extremely courteous to have let you known, or even asked you to come and watch the fireworks yourselves (as our neighbours did).

However, some people don't plan for firework night- we (with our neighbours) let off a few small fireworks and had sparklers at the back of our houses, all very communal and fun- however one neighbour came out to say that one of her dogs had run off around 5.30, had we seen it? All the rest were in but she'd left the door open- I just did wonder why she hadn't kept the animals all in a secure place to be honest, I wouldn't let my toddler just go wandering around on firework night and I also wouldn't let my cats (when I had them) go wandering around either.

And- those saying they are only legal in the UK, have you ever been to a New Year celebration on the continent?! It's firecrackers (which are much louder) and fireworks all night and all the kids/families/teenager/people mix together in a much more alarming way in the town/city centres, now that is really loud and frightening and chaotic, but people love it. Setting off a few fireworks in the back garden is hardly the same risk. I hate organized displays as they are always very crowded and you get crushed/worried about being separated.

But I do agree it's very different in a city centre than out in the countryside where there's only a few houses and if you haven't had any fireworks for years, it's odd they didn't let you know- or as I say, invite you over to watch the display.

I don't think it's a lot to ask to warn animal owners of the act you plan on setting off fireworks. It took me two mins to write a few notes and post them. I wouldn't have enjoyed setting them off if I'd had to worry about everyone's pets getting scared. It was nice to know they all had a chance to be locked in or shut in a quiet room where they couldn't freak and hurt themselves.

However IMO fire works should be allowed the weekends before and after , on the one night and no later than 9:00. The constant on going fireworks for a month takes the piss.

But I think on firework night itself you should have prepared for the event however unlikely it may have been. The risk of injury is higher than that of a sedative I would have thought.

It is not necessarily a town/country divide on here OP.

I live rurally in the country, and I don't agree with you!

if i lived next door to a field with horses and cows, i would have assumed I couldnt have fireworks as it would scare them. Wouldnt even occur to me to get them moved just wouldnt do it in the first place.

Bowlersarm, you may live in the countryside but you are clearly ignorant of country living.

Glad the damage is not serious op and am appalled at the level of ignorance displayed here, despite explanations provided by owners of large animals. I despair.

There is somewhat of a divide town/country as the OP lives near 3 houses, I probably live in the middle of about 50 nearby houses, on an estate of 100's, and so it is not feasible for me to warn all my neighbours we are having a few fireworks, and many of them are also having them. This creates a reasonable expectation that there will be lots of fireworks in this area on this particular night and that it would also be reasonable to shut in cats/dogs from dusk onwards (we only saw any fireworks from about 5-9). This is not the case where the OP lives.

"if i lived next door to a field with horses and cows, i would have assumed I couldnt have fireworks as it would scare them. Wouldnt even occur to me to get them moved just wouldnt do it in the first place."

This - the voice of common sense.

Living in the countryside doesn't mean that people automatically understand the simple courtesies that make things work there. So many residents now want the benefit and joy of being surrounded by the countryside and the animals, but not the community responsibility that goes with it.

As an aside - let me explain why shutting your horse in a stable might not be as helpful as say keeping your cat in for the night.
Imagine you are an animal that naturally is preyed on by others, and you rely on your eyesight and ability to run away for survival. What do you think would work best for you? Being out in the open so you can see what's happening around you and run to what you feel to be a safer area? Or shut in a box where the noise is going on all around you, but you can't see what is causing it because all you can do is stick your head out of a small opening, and you can't run away for safety.

I don't think you are unreasonable at all OP

I have horses and they are fine with fireworks in general but if some idiot set them off right next door to them they would freak. there are 4 houses on the lane they are kept on, 3 of which have had fireworks this week, all 3 came and spoke to me to let me know which night they were doing fireworks and what time.

house 1 - sat night at 6.30 so I stayed with the horses till they had finished (horses calmly watched fireworks and listened to the radio)

house 2 - Sunday night 8pm I left the radio on for them and left them with their treatballs, all fine.

house 3 - last night 7pm Same as sat I just stayed with them till it had finished.

my neighbours at home though have been horrific, fireworks everynight at random times since last weekend, my dog has refused to go in the garden and my poor rabbits are nervous wrecks, I completely respect that they can do whatever they want in their own garden but I still think they are inconsiderate wankers.

YANBU

Setting off fireworks right next to horses and cows is moronic. Common curtesy as well as general safety (once horses/cows bolt you don't really know where they will end up and who they will injure) dictate that your neighbours should have given you some warning.

I agree with you OP. I live next to a field with cattle, and am horrified by the number of times walkers allow their dogs to wander between a cow and her calf, and then have to leg it (often into my garden) to escape the entirely predictable reaction from half a ton of enraged bovine.

One thought, though. Give that you now know that you can't rely on sense from at least one of the three houses next to your field, might it be worth you seizing the initiative next year, and putting notes through their doors asking them to call you if they have any events planned so you can take care of your animals.

I'm glad all of them are broadly well.

initgrand But the thread isn't about people letting off fireworks all year round, it is about fireworks being let off on firerwork night and whether that is reasonably foreseeable to livestock owners.
No court in the land would uphold her complaint!

You think so, do you? I think you could quite comfortably make a case for a tort or delict involving public or neighbourly nuisance being reasonably foreseeable on grounds of common sense and known danger and risk. ie it is a known danger which all reasonably competent home owners, particularly those in the country, should be aware.

Of course, if the OP had actually warned the neighbours of the dangers, the claim would be relatively straightforward. But I don't think its a claim that would not be worth bringing - depending on the judge, and public policy, as its not a matter currently covered by legislation, you could get a judgment in favour.

I honestly find it shocking that some posters have such little empathy towards animals, never mind lack of knowledge, that they think "shutting them in" cures all problems from fireworks.

I'd love to know where these soundproof boxes masquerading as barns and stabling are! Some horses are more prone to causing themselves injury inside than out, where they can use their flight instinct. It would depend on how big their field is, how panicky the horse and how far away they could get from the fireworks.

Sedation might be worth using for some, but it wears off quickly, so you would have to get the timing right. And it doesn't work effectively on all horses, particularly if they are upset to begin with.

My lot are kept rurally too. I wondered if my neighbours would set of fireworks, though was unconcerned as they're used to them anyway. I stabled them anyway as a precaution (falling rockets etc). I can't say I'd have expected (horsey) neighbours to warn me.

Your livestock, your responsibility.

However, I also think private displays held in gardens should be banned for many reasons.

BTW, I wouldn't sedate a turned out animal. Risk of injury is increased by the slower reactions of a sedated animal.

Nice put down slipshod

I don't care what the fucking date is .... Bonfire Night, New Year's Eve, Chinese New Year .... or whatever. Whilst it may be traditional to have fireworks at those times, it doesn't give you carte blanche to set off explosives right next to large animals contained in a field, who have nowhere to escape - unless it's over/through fencing in a blind panic - and who could therefore injure themselves (or worse) trying to get away .... not to mention the possibility of further mayhem should they escape on to roads.

Good god ..... regardless of whether you know the animals' owner, regardless of if you know where they live .... you just don't bloody do it unless you've expressly informed and agreed that it's okay to do so. And if you can't track down the owner then tough, surely the animals' wellbeing (and their owner's livelihood) takes precedence over your "right" to enjoy a few fireworks. It's not as if there aren't any organised displays if you were that desperate.

OP - I really feel for you and hope the damage today isn't too great. This is absolutely all about courtesy, consideration and compassion which your neighbours are obviously completely lacking. Yes - we all know it's Nov 5th blah blah blah but fireworks are on sale for weeks before and after for a start - and while most pet owners know to keep their pets in, it is different for owners of larger animals who aren't so easily transported elsewhere - and who typically tend to be kept in more remote areas where it's far less likely they'd be exposed to fireworks anyway. Am not sure what the OP is supposed to do "just in case" - she'd otherwise be moving them for days/weeks on end. These people were very very irresponsible - and yes, cruel - to do this without any consideration.

(As an aside, I went to a display this weekend. Some total fucking moron had bought his dog with him - to within 6 feet of the barrier round the bonfire and launch area. I didn't realise he had until the 1st rocket went off (or else I'd have confronted him) and I saw this blur whoosh past me. Thankfully, it was on a lead and thankfully, this man left at that point or else I'd have ended up in a row with him and would have taken the dog away myself (or involved the police). He came back shortly without dog, so very likely poor thing was shut in a nearby car where it wouldn't have been protected from hearing all the bangs and would be petrified anyway.)

is it a town/country divide though OP? alot of us just dont know, we simple have no idea!

so to disparage anyone that says YABU as a "townie" seems a bit...mean

are we also "morons" like your neighbours!!!!

on another note, where do you get those horse sedatives from ?

is it a town/country divide though OP? alot of us just dont know, we simple have no idea!

Well, I know nothing about cattle, and have lived in cities, towns and the countryside, but wouldn't dream of letting fireworks off in a field next to them.

Maybe it just comes down to basic levels of intelligence?

' I don't think its common sense to expect fireworks'

Really?? November 5th, Houses of Parliament, Guy Fawkes, celebration going on for quite a few years

It is your responsibility to foresee any eventualities in terms of your animals and not foreseeing that fireworks may be set off on 5th November is a bit naïve regardless of the age of neighbours or pattern of previous years celebrations.