Town residents upset that fireworks display will cause them to euth their pony

[carolprudm]

Crazy horse owners.

Reasonable solutions have been offered. Sorry, the whole town shouldn't be inconvenient because it might upset your old unpredictable pony.

Yup

[tangledweb]

Sounds like offering to sedate the pony's owners for the duration would be in everybody, including the pony's, best interest.

[carolprudm]

Sounds like offering to sedate the pony's owners for the duration would be in everybody, including the pony's, best interest.

lol, just wondering what "non narcotic sedative" the owner is using....and since it hasn't worked well in the past maybe just maybe she should try something else

[jen-s]

Wow. I think LLB is being extremely accommodating. And the HO sounds a bit nutty.

[Hinderella]

LL Bean is doing exactly the right thing, all the owners have to do is accept the offer.

Personally, I DESPISE fireworks. Fourth of July goes on for weeks in my neighborhood, with endless idiots each spreading their supply over many nights. I keep telling my husband that we need to take our vacation on July 4th week and go to Canada

But they're a fact of life, and LL Bean is being perfectly reasonable.

[Kwill]

I bet if these people posted on coth, they could find a place to board the pony for a week or so during the week of the 4th.

[tangledweb]

lol, just wondering what "non narcotic sedative" the owner is using....and since it hasn't worked well in the past maybe just maybe she should try something else

And note they start sedating their "animals" plural 3 days before the event.

I'd believe one elderly pony had a genuine issue.

If you think all your horses and cows need to be sedated for three days, then I think it is far more likely that the people on the farm, not the livestock that have unpredictable, irrational reactions.

[ReSomething]

. . . perhaps it's time to let the old friend go. A car driving by could backfire and cause exactly what they are afraid of.

Exactly.

[HenryisBlaisin']

IMO, LL Bean made a perfectly reasonable offer. If we couldn't do anything every time it scared an animal, well, we'd never be able to do anything! No fireworks, no parades, no farming, no construction, no cutting of trees, no bicycle riding, no flags, no flower pots....See how ridiculous it gets?

If the pony is so old and weak that a few miles on a trailer would harm it, perhaps it's time to let go anyway.

Boarders with that attitude wouldn't last long at my barn. Our horses are expected to deal with a number of things, like the logging that happened on the property next door, the large farm equipment that works in the next field, the antique sportscar club, participating in parades, and yes, even the fireworks we set off in the front pasture on the 4th of July! (The horses were, of course, inside at the time and exactly ONE of them was bothered by it. My horse ate the whole time. One particularly outgoing 4-year-old stuck his head out the window and watched-he could hear the people having fun out there and thought he should join in!) We're getting a new roof on the barn next week; they'll deal with that, too.

[SillyHorse]

I must say I'm pleasantly surprised at the responses. Sometimes we horse people can be "horse blind" and fail to see situations from the non-horse point of view. I think LL Bean has made a very generous and kind offer; it sounds like the pony's owners may be using the pony's condition as an excuse to stop the fireworks.

[Trixie]

Sounds to me like LL Bean has already gone above and beyond and that the horse owners are being unreasonable. Frankly, that was more than generous.

[Laurierace]

Penn National race track is literally across the street from the National guard base. It was the 4th of July meets Armageddon pretty much every day. They were constantly blowing stuff up. Not once did I ever see a single horse bat an eye after the first day they were there. I am sure it is possible a particular horse or pony could have an issue but there is no way it is so unmanageable that euthanasia is the only option. I am in total agreement with sedating the owners!

[quietann]

Sounds like offering to sedate the pony's owners for the duration would be in everybody, including the pony's, best interest.

I dislike the heavily entitled horse person, especially when s/he is interacting with the non horse owning public in a way that makes them think *all* horse people are "like that nut."

[gailbyrd]

What does the pony do during T-Storms?

Now, I understand about fireworks, have one myself that gets upset by the fireworks that are going off 5 miles in the distance. She also gets upset by T-storms. But if LL Bean is offering to help the pony get through the festivities, take the offer and don't look back IMHO.

[Bacardi1]

L.L. Bean has already made a more than generous offer to assist the complainent, who's hemmed & hawed at every suggestion. Life does NOT revolve around horse ownership. The non-horsey set DOES get to enjoy the things they enjoy, & L.L. Bean is more than entitled to celebrate the way they & the public want to.

I'm feeling more than a little pessimistic today (pouring rain & I have quite a few outdoor chores to do), so it's entering my mind that if this 30-year-old pony just "happens" to expire during or immediately after this fireworks display - regardless of whether they move the pony, tranquilize the pony, or not - that L.L. Bean will be facing one helluva big & very public lawsuit?

[Marshfield]

The annual display for the Town of Durham is across from the UNH horse barns and my friend's place. The horses survive.

I think the offer on the part of L.L. Bean to pay for a vet or to relocate the horse is reasonable.

[VCT]

I live in a rural area. People light fireworks, shoot guns, we have major T-storms sometimes. The horses don't care. The only time I had a slight issue was when I was riding a somewhat green, anxious horse in my arena and my neighbors across the street from the arena were lighting fireworks in their front yard. The horse got tense and nervous. I went to the far end of the ring, did some work and called it a day. It's now a couple years later and I doubt the horse would even care in the same situation.

People need to get over it - life happens. If LL Bean is offering to help, that is more than reasonable and very nice on their part. Agree with others - the owners need sedation! Hehhe

[jengersnap]

So, what exactly do they do with the pony during freakish thunderstorms? Around here I've heard storms louder than any big fireworks bash. My dog hates both, so I'm always woken up when the storms appear deep in the night. The horses are all meh about them though. Even the nights the neighbors light up fireworks and launch them across the very field they are pastured out in. I don't like it, but I'm not exactly running out in my nightgown to stop it either. Oh, and I have thoroughbreds and one STB to boot LOL

Penn National race track is literally across the street from the National guard base. It was the 4th of July meets Armageddon pretty much every day. They were constantly blowing stuff up. Not once did I ever see a single horse bat an eye after the first day they were there.

Woodbine is under the landing zone for the Toronto International Airport, one of the busiest airports in the world. The planes come in over the track so low you can read their call signs. I always preferred taking my stallion over to the paddock because I'm use to his antics. The planes coming in have rattled me with their deafening noise, but he never batted an ear, same as the rest of the field. Unless the abuse said pony went through was something like War Horse Joey on the front lines, what exactly makes all her animals different than all of ours? Put them in their stalls and its just noise up in the sky for an hour or so.

[Mad Mare]

. . .
Personally, I DESPISE fireworks. Fourth of July goes on for weeks in my neighborhood, with endless idiots each spreading their supply over many nights. I keep telling my husband that we need to take our vacation on July 4th week and go to Canada . . .

'Fraid that won't help you much. Canada celebrates Canada Day on July 1st. There are stricter laws there, but fireworks still have to be dealt with and often illegally for a week or more.

Eileen
ex-pat Canuck

[hundredacres]

How many hundreds of people have old dogs...that freak out over fireworks...in any given area?

Fireworks should be stopped if it's going to possibly upset any old pet?

This age of entitlement thing is getting silly.

My thought too.It's getting out of control What about children who cry because of fireworks?

The pony has survived at least 29 July 4th celebrations. Why are they making a big deal? Party poopers.