With fireworks night fast approaching, Blue Cross is offering essential advice to help owners keep horses safe and calm over the bright and noisy nights.

Clare Bevins, veterinary supervisor at Blue Cross in Burford, said: “Fireworks are a noisy, bright explosion to your horse’s senses and can be at best unsettling and at worst utterly terrifying.

“Owners need to try to plan ahead to keep all their animals safe during fireworks season. It’s also important to behave as normally and calmly as possible around them so that they don’t sense any unease.”

Ms Bevins said: “Try to make sure fireworks aren’t set off near your horse’s field or stable. Keep a check on plans for local displays and tell neighbours and local firework display organisers that there are horses nearby so they can make sure fireworks are set off well away from them.

“If there has been a display near your stable, yard or field, check the area for bits of used firework and put anything that could be dangerous to your horse in the bin.”