Heartbroken Totternhoe family's plea after horse spooked by New Year fireworks dies

A grieving family is calling for a change in the law after their horse died after being spooked by fireworks.

Samantha Parsons, of Totternhoe, has spoken of the horror of finding her 25-year-old horse Murphy, in a distressed state on New Year’s Day. She says loud fireworks close to his field on New Year’s Eve, caused him to jump through two fence and collapse.

Despite the family spending four hours trying to get him back on his feet he eventually had to be put to sleep by a vet.

"It was dreadful,” she said. “Nothing can describe it. When we found him he so wanted to get up but couldn’t. The ground was churned around him but he didn’t have the energy to get up.”

Samantha, who runs Doolittle Mill Dog Training and Daycare, said she had considered calling the fire brigade to see if they could help him get back on his feet but was advised he probably didn’t have the strength to stand on his own.

"We are completely heartbroken,” she said. “It happened in a field where he should have been safe.”

Under the Animal Welfare act 2006 fireworks must not be set off near livestock or horses in fields or close to buildings housing livestock. Anyone planning a firework display in a rural area should warn neighbouring farmers in advance.

Samantha said she was given a warning for a small fireworks display in the village itself.

"He should have been protected and secure in his field but obviously he wasn’t,” she said.

"I don’t mind fireworks but there is a place for them. They should be better controlled around livestock. I don’t want to be a killjoy but it should not be at the expense of a life.”

"I want tougher by laws for better control of fireworks around livestock. I want by laws controlled by the parish council and controlled displays.”

She said RSPCA figures showed around seven horses a year had died after being spooked by fireworks since 2017.

The RSPCA has been running its #BangOutOfOrder campaign for years and is calling on the UK Government to urgently review firework regulations.

Samantha says she has spoken to both Totternhoe parish council and South Bedfordshire MP Andrew Selous about tightening up laws around fireworks.

The council is to consider the issue at its next meeting later this month.

"There should be by laws about only allowing organised displays around livestock areas,” she said. “Fireworks are freely accessible and it’s a nightmare.”

Mr Selous told BBC Three Counties he was saddened by the news.

"How can any fireworks display be worth the death of a much loved family pet?” he said.

He said there needed to be a huge publicity campaign on the risks of fireworks to animals and he would be challenging the Government to see what it could do to strengthen the law.

He added he was sure whoever held the display would be “absolutely mortified that a horse had died as a result of the pleasure they were having.”