Horse spooked by fireworks gets put down

A Taranaki horse rider is calling for changes around Guy Fawkes after she had to put her horse down because of injuries it suffered from the stress of fireworks.

Darryn Moeller had her 28year-old horse, Izzy, living on leased council land in Oakura, 20 minutes from central New Plymouth, when it was spooked by people nearby celebrating Guy Fawkes.

‘‘I had a meeting in New Plymouth at 7.30pm on Wednesday night and of course I turned my phone off the whole time I was there,’’ says Moeller.

‘‘On the way back at about half past 10, I turned my phone back on and all of these messages just came flooding in of all of these locals around the horse paddock that were desperately trying to get hold of me to say that my horse was beside herself, and she was just racing backwards and forwards.’’

Moeller and her husband drove to the paddock, a fourminute drive from their house, but she said it was too late. ‘‘The damage was done by then.’’

Izzy had raced throughout the paddock, throwing her body at the gate and getting her hooves trapped under it.

‘‘I just knew, I had a gut feeling when I looked at her, I thought that this is it, there’s no going back,’’ Moeller said.

‘‘She could hardly walk, she had actually buggered her foot, and it was huge, it had just blown up, so she had obviously done some serious damage.’’

Izzy was very resilient and Moeller said she was one of very few who could ride her horse along the highway, so for her to be that spooked was uncommon.

‘‘Normally with a horse, when they get a fright they can see where they come from but with fireworks they’re over the top,’’ she said.

‘‘They don’t know where to go to get away from it, it’s pretty traumatic for them.’’

So she is calling for change.

‘‘It needs to be public display or not at all, or if it has to be on the 5th of November, let’s do it then. Why are we doing it before and after? It’s either that or the government has to bring a ruling in that there’s no public sales.’’

The current law in New Zealand is that fireworks can only be bought between November 2 and 5 but can be let off on private property at any time of the year.

The SPCA said it had always advocated for a ban on the private sale and use of fireworks in New Zealand.

‘‘Fireworks cause significant fear and distress to animals, compromising their welfare.

‘‘Animals change their behaviour in response to loud and abrupt noises and this can lead to physical injury and disruption of feeding, abandonment of young, stress and mortality, all of which are signs of mental suffering.’’

There had been incidents around the country caused by fireworks last week, including a bush fire in North Canterbury that forced 130 people to leave their homes. A scrub fire in Hawke’s Bay was also attributed to fireworks. Police were speaking to a youth.

LISA BURD/STUFF Darryn Moeller knew ‘‘the damage was done’’ after she arrived too late to Izzy’s paddock after fireworks had been let off nearby. She says one of Izzy’s shoes was ripped from her as she ran into a fence.