How to calm the frights on Bonfire Night

Autumn is full of cosy comforts and colourful celebrations, including Bonfire Night, Halloween and Diwali. Unfortunately, it also means many of your neighbours will be setting off fireworks, which can be stressful and even frightening for dogs, horses and other animals.

So how do you keep your pups and ponies calm and safe over fireworks season? We’ve rounded up our top treats, toys and supplements to help your animals stay happy and relaxed, even when there are fireworks going off.

For horses

Nettex Calmer Syringe Paste Boost

Nettex’s easy-to-use Calmer Syringe Paste Boost helps your horse feel more relaxed in just 30 minutes. This makes it the perfect choice for short-term or unexpected stressful situations like fireworks going off.

The active ingredients are magnesium and l-theanine from green tea, formulated to be easily absorbed for quick-acting calmness.

Premier Performance Calming Cookies

These tasty treats are packed with calming ingredients like naturally calming L-Tyrosine to help your horse feel less anxious over Bonfire Night. Calming Cookies are also available in a variety of flavours including autumnal cinnamon.

Hy Equestrian The Food Ball Stable Toy

This durable stable toy from Hy Equestrian can help your horse stay relaxed, and features tags to hold their favourite treats. Stable toys can be a huge help if your horse is usually turned out overnight but is staying in a stable during Bonfire Night.

For dogs and small animals

Animal Instincts Comfort Crate Cover

Crates can be a great way to give your pet a safe, comfortable place they can go to when they’re scared. A comfort cover, like this one from Animal Instincts, will help block out the bright flashes from fireworks outside. This one is lightweight and features flaps that can be rolled up and secured for different levels of cover and ventilation.

Global Herbs Canine Relax

This gentle yet effective supplement paste is made with carefully selected herbal ingredients that help ease your dog’s anxiety. Global Herbs Canine Relax works for one-off stressful events like Bonfire Night, but it’s also suitable for long-term use if your dog is regularly prone to stress.

Beaphar Calming Tablets Cat and Dog

Lemon balm is a herb in the mint family that’s traditionally been used by people to manage stress and anxiety*. So, if you’re looking for a natural supplement to keep your pets calm over Bonfire Night, look out for lemon balm on the ingredients list. Beaphar Calming Tablets blend lemon balm with other plant ingredients, including rosemary, hop flowers and lime tree blossom in one convenient tablet.

Finding the right combo of treats or nutrition supplements, with active ingredients like lemon balm or magnesium, can help your animals stay calm and happy even during autumn fireworks. We hope you and your four-legged friends enjoy a stress-free firework season! If you want more top tips and advice on all things equestrian, check out the rest of our blogs on topics like hacking, competition wear and more.

* https://www.imrpress.com/journal/FBS/14/2/10.31083/j.fbs1402016/htm