25 October 2024

UPDATED: An open letter to Colchester Rugby Club

Tuesday 22nd October 2024

I write regarding Colchester Rugby Club’s decision to hold a fireworks display that they are advertising as ‘turning up the volume with the return of spectacular big bangs and dazzling pyrotechnics that will light up the night sky’.

This is a very disappointing U-turn after the Rugby Club’s low-noise fireworks display last year and we’re urging them to reconsider their plans, and ‘Keep Horses In Mind’.

Redwings Horse Sanctuary is one of the biggest horse welfare charities in the UK, responsible for over 2,000 horses, ponies, donkeys and mules who have come into the charity after being cruelly treated or neglected. Some 700 of our horses live out in private homes with devoted Guardians who provide their day-to-day care.

Two Redwings horses, Redwings’ Vincent and Redwings’ Elsey, live very close to the Rugby Club with their Guardians, and we are deeply concerned about the impact of an event like this on their welfare, as well as the many other horses living in this rural location.

Redwings has been campaigning to help people better understand the dangers posed to horses by fireworks for over 10 years, and we have just launched our new ‘Keep Horses In Mind’ campaign to better protect horses, ponies, donkeys and mules.

As flight animals with highly attuned senses, horses can be very reactive to loud noises, in particular. Their reaction to fear is to run from the source of perceived danger which can put both their own lives and the lives of anyone nearby at risk. People sometimes ask why they can’t just ‘be put in a stable’ but confining them and/or a change of routine can add to the stress of a fireworks display and, in fact, make the experience more distressing.

Many people might not know that horses die or are injured every year because of fireworks. A staggering 366 horses were recorded to have been killed or injured due to fireworks-related incidents between November 2010 and March 2024 and many more such incidents go unrecorded (British Horse Society). Tragically, three Redwings ponies have died in recent years as a direct result of fireworks being set off nearby. Cinders, Percy and Sprite all lived at Redwings centres.

We understand how enjoyable fireworks displays can be for some people, however when a display is being held so close to horse-keeping premises it can be a terrifying occasion for horse owners during which, even with the best pre-planning, it is impossible to alleviate all risk to their beloved animals.

We would encourage the Rugby Club to consider returning to using low-noise fireworks to reduce the risk to animals and people in the area who are distressed by loud noises or to relocate the display to an area which is not adjacent to so many horses and other animals.

Lynn Cutress,

CEO Redwings Horse Sanctuary

Friday 25th October 2024

We welcome the news that Colchester Rugby Club has cancelled its loud fireworks display and would like to thank the committee sincerely for taking the very real concerns of local horse and animal owners into consideration.

The phrase ‘unreasonable pressure from the equine community’ is disappointing however, reflecting a lack of understanding around the issue and entrenching a ‘them and us’ situation, which makes it harder to re-establish community connection and find a balance where we can all continue our traditions and celebrations in a way that is as safe and enjoyable as possible for everyone.

We’d like to emphasise that concerns about the display were both reasonable and evidence-based. Horses can be very reactive to loud noises, in particular, and, as a flight animal, their instinct to fear is to run, which can put their lives and the lives of anyone nearby at risk. More than 100 horses are recorded by the British Horse Society as either being killed or injured in fireworks-related incidents just in the three years from March 2021 to March 2024, and while this event would have been held over just one night, it only takes one night – or even a few minutes – for a horse to become seriously-injured or get out onto a road and cause an accident. Even taking measures to stable a horse can be dangerous, with panicked horses injuring themselves in attempts to break free and run.

The law stipulates that owners are duty bound to provide a suitable environment for their horses, but they lose control of that environment when loud explosions are going off over their premises and they can do little but wait for it to be over and hope everyone remains safe.

The government’s own guidance states that it is important to be considerate to horse owners as they cannot easily move their animals away from fireworks, and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, in partnership with the British Fireworks Association and the Blue Cross, states that fireworks must not be set off near livestock or horses in fields, or close to buildings housing livestock.

Our Keep Horses In Mind campaign is calling for a review of current fireworks legislation, in particular to define what is meant by ‘near’ and ‘close to’ to avoid such division and disappointment within our communities, and urge all to carefully consider their neighbours and show mutual respect for concerns and expectations at this time of year.

Lynn Cutress

CEO Redwings Horse Sanctuary