11 November 2025

Redwings releases video of ponies reacting to fireworks display ahead of MP drop-in event

Photo of ponies Dennis and Merry with their Guardian Kristi

Dennis, who is 24 years old, and Merry, who is 23, live with one of our student vet nurses, Kristi, who acts as their daily Guardian. We are releasing video footage of the two ponies reacting to a nearby fireworks display at the weekend to continue to demonstrate the impact fireworks can have.

Kristi said: “Dennis has what we believe is osteoarthritis in his fetlock which I manage successfully on a normal day. Merry has partial vision having only one eye. Now in their twilight years, they were both rescued by Redwings after being left to fend for themselves as semi-feral youngsters.

“Last year I didn’t know fireworks were going to be let off so close by, so I was glad that this year some advance notice was given.

“Merry is prone to colic when stressed so that was a big concern. He had an episode the weekend before Bonfire Night, which I suspect was caused by fireworks as that was the cause of the same thing last year, and displayed signs of diarrhoea, flank watching and frequent laying down in discomfort, which resulted in an out of hours emergency call out from the vet. Dennis' issue with his leg was a big concern. 

“I am lucky that I have a field, a small turnout pen and a stable available for them. I decided against the field as it has a ditch on one side, and I was worried what might happen if they ran in fright. After considering all the pros and cons, I opted to stable them. I chose to give Dennis and Merry a sedative prescribed by a vet, as many owners are forced to do, to help them to cope with the loud bangs, but despite being medicated, Dennis became so distressed he tried to jump over the stable door!

“I was so worried Dennis would injure himself and make his lameness issue worse that I let them out into the small area in front of their stable, where this was their reaction.”

 

Photo of ponies Dennis and Merry
Watch the video of Dennis and Merry reacting to fireworks here.

Kristi continued: “Even after going to the effort and expense of having a sedation prescribed by my vet and doing everything I could to minimise Dennis and Merry’s anxiety, they were still terrified and charging around in a way that I know isn't good for either of them.

“Dennis’ lameness has been exacerbated due to the unnecessary running around in panic and has resulted in needing a few days of box rest to settle things down as well as booking a vet appointment as it has still not fully resolved. They were both sweating by the time they had finished. 

"I hope this video will show the impact fireworks can have on horses and that anyone considering setting off fireworks, especially near animals, might reconsider.

“It breaks my heart that they are forced to go through this.”
 

Photo of ponies Dennis and Merry on either side of their carer Kristi
Dennis and Merry with their Guardian Kristi.

Dennis and Merry’s video is one of many pieces of footage that have been shared with Redwings of animals over the weekend.

Vets at our Hapton HQ in Norfolk dealt with lameness in two of our rescued horses and a case of colic in a donkey at the weekend, which it’s believed may have been linked to fireworks going off nearby.

A horse at Redwings’ Ada Cole in Essex became stressed and sweated up in his stable the previous weekend while on box rest for laminitis.

We are petitioning the Government to reduce the maximum permitted noise level of fireworks from 120 to 90 decibels. The UK Government and Parliament petition has now been signed by more than 160,000 people, over 60,000 in the past week. As it has exceeded 100,000 signatures it must now be considered for parliamentary debate.

Research, including a Redwings survey of over 5,000 UK horse owners, suggests that reducing the permitted noise levels for fireworks could reduce their negative impact, and hopefully result in fewer deaths and injuries to horses and their guardians. Twenty six horse deaths and 158 incidents of injury to horses or people took place between 2021 and 2025 due to fireworks, according to the British Horse Society's incident-recording system. It is recognised that many more incidents will go unrecorded.
 

We are also encouraging people to contact their MP to ask them to attend an fireworks drop-in tomorrow (Wednesday 12th November).

The event is organised by the Fireworks Impact Coalition (formerly the Fireworks Working Group), made up of 19 charities, including Redwings, who represent both animals and humans impacted by fireworks, from assistance dogs and zoo animals to military veterans and people living with PTSD. MPs are invited to attend between 1.30pm – 4.45pm, in Dining Room B, House of Commons. A template letter is available here and you can find your MP's contact details here.

To find out more about Redwings’ work on fireworks - including advice and resources to help horse owners prepare - please visit our special Fireworks page here.
 

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