New Year's Eve, just after six: The first fireworks are going off in the village, and your horse stands in its stall with its head thrown back. It prances, snorts, and listens intently into the darkness. There are still six hours until midnight.
Does your horse act this way on New Year's Eve? Then you've come to the right place. You can't cancel New Year's Eve, but there's a lot you can do to help your horse get through the night more calmly. The most effective approach is to start preparing early enough.
In short: Start preparing about 4–6 weeks before New Year’s Eve. Talk to your neighbors, practice making noises, and get your horse used to ear protection if you plan to use it, and use gentle aids like CBD. On the night itself, plenty of hay, light, soft music, and a calm partner horse will help.
Here's what you can expect in this post
- Horses on New Year's Eve: Why Are They So Scared of Fireworks?
- When Should You Start Preparing Your Horse for New Year's Eve? The Schedule
- Stall, open barn, or pasture: Where is the best place for your horse to spend New Year's Eve?
- Ear Protection for Horses on New Year's Eve: Is It Necessary or Not?
- What can you do to help your horse on New Year's Eve?
- Sedatives for Horses on New Year's Eve: What Can Help Your Horse?
- Your horse is still panicking: What should you do now?
- The Morning After: What Do You Pay Attention to on New Year's Day?
- Frequently Asked Questions About New Year's Eve with Horses
Horses on New Year's Eve: Why Are They So Scared of Fireworks?
Horses are flight animals. A sudden loud noise, bright flashes in the sky, and the smell of smoke signal danger to them. Their natural response is to flee, but that’s hardly possible in a stable or paddock.
On top of that, horses have very keen hearing and can see almost 360 degrees. This means they often notice fireworks sooner and more intensely than we do. Because they are herd animals, a panicked horse can quickly cause the others to panic as well. This becomes dangerous when a panicked horse jumps against the stall wall, breaks through the fence, or injures itself on the pasture fence.
Some horses are easily spooked even in everyday situations and will react to something as simple as a fluttering tarp. If this describes your horse, you’ll find tips in our guide to easily spooked and nervous horses that will help you all year round.
When Should You Start Preparing Your Horse for New Year's Eve? The Schedule
It’s best to start about 6 weeks before New Year’s Eve. Many of these steps require advance preparation: noise training only works if you do it often and in small steps. Your horse needs time to get used to ear protection. Even gentle supplements like CBD shouldn’t be added to your horse’s feed for the first time on New Year’s Eve. With this schedule, you can spread everything out over several weeks at a relaxed pace.
Your New Year's Eve Schedule for Your Horse
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6 weeks in advance
Talk to your neighbors and the stable community. Maybe they’ll set off fireworks farther away from the stable if you ask them nicely—and definitely not in the direction of the hay and straw storage areas. Put up signs. Start with gentle noise training: crinkly plastic wrap, a rustling tarp, or very quiet fireworks sounds from your cell phone, accompanied by praise and treats. If you plan to use ear protection, start getting your horse used to it now.
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4 weeks in advance
Get started with CBD now if you'd like to use it for your horse—for example, with our starter kit for horses.
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2 weeks in advance
Check fences, paddocks, and stalls during daylight hours. Decide where your horse will spend the night. Organize a stall watch, for example, through a group chat.
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New Year's Day
Give your horse plenty of exercise in the morning to burn off excess energy. Don't take him out for rides in the afternoon. Make sure he has plenty of hay, close the windows and doors early, and turn on the lights and the radio.
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New Year's Day
Check the paddock and exercise area for any rocket debris, take a close look at your horse, and let it enjoy a quiet day with some light exercise.
Stall, open barn, or pasture: Where is the best place for your horse to spend New Year's Eve?
There’s no one-size-fits-all answer. It depends on what your horse is used to. A horse that’s never been in a stall may experience more stress in an unfamiliar stall than from the fireworks themselves. Conversely, a horse that’s used to being in a stall may quickly feel vulnerable in a dark pasture.
Stall, open barn, or pasture on New Year's Eve
| Box | Open Barn | Pasture | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Advantages | Lighting and music available; clearly visible | familiar hearth, retreat to the shelter | a familiar setting, no crowds |
| Risks | Damage to the wall and door | Panic spreads through the herd | Escape Through the Fence |
| Goes well with | Boxing Horses | Herds with a stable hierarchy | calm pasture horses, far from the fireworks |
| Prepare | Blackout curtains, radio, hay | Check the fence, several haystacks | Double-check the fence and the electricity, hay |
Do you want to move your horse to a new location for New Year's Eve—for example, from an open stable to a stall? Then practice this for a few nights beforehand. That way, at least the place will be familiar on New Year's Eve, even if everything outside is different.
Ear Protection for Horses on New Year's Eve: Is It Necessary or Not?
Earplugs or a noise-reducing ear cover can help muffle the loud bang. However, this only works if your horse is already familiar with the ear protection before the bang occurs. If you use it for the first time on New Year’s Eve, you risk your horse reacting to the unfamiliar sensation and becoming even more nervous.
Advantages
- reduces loud banging noises
- Good for horses that are particularly sensitive to noise
- can be combined with all other measures
Disadvantages
- Some horses don't like having their ears touched
- Earplugs can fall out when the horse shakes its head
- An unfamiliar feeling can add to your stress
- Flashlights and smoke remain nonetheless
Here’s how to get your horse used to earplugs: Start by touching its ears and reward every calm reaction. Once that works, put the earplugs in for a few seconds and then take them out again. Gradually increase the time your horse wears them over several days, ideally while it’s eating, so your horse associates them with something pleasant. Some horses are already familiar with earplugs from competitions, so this step is easier for them. However, don’t leave earplugs in their ears unattended overnight, as they can slip out of place or get lost. Our guide, “Loading Horses Calmly,” also shows you how to teach your horse new things in small steps.
What can you do to help your horse on New Year's Eve?
On the night itself, food, companionship, and quiet are the most effective aids. Chewing keeps your horse occupied and has a calming effect, while a familiar horse provides a sense of security. Your own calmness also rubs off on your horse.
- Plenty of hay just before midnight: Spread the hay out in several spots throughout the open barn to prevent a scramble.
- No concentrated feed when your horse is agitated: Pellets or oats eaten too quickly can cause the esophagus to become blocked. Stick to roughage.
- Turn on the lights: An illuminated barn makes the flashes outside seem less harsh.
- Soft music: A radio playing steady music masks some of the loud noises and creates the sound of everyday life.
- A calm partner horse: Pair a nervous horse with an experienced, calm companion.
- Stay calm: Keep your composure and speak calmly. Frantic attempts to comfort your horse are more likely to signal to it that something is wrong.
- Stable Watch: Check on your horse at least around midnight—preferably with a partner.
Sedatives for Horses on New Year's Eve: What Can Help Your Horse?
There are gentle supplements that can help your horse get through New Year’s Eve. However, none of them can replace the preparation outlined in the schedule. The important thing to remember with all of them is: Never try a new supplement for the first time on New Year’s Eve; instead, try it a few weeks beforehand on a quiet day.
Bach Flower Remedies and Rescue Drops
Bach flower remedies and Rescue Drops are popular among many horse owners. Only by observing your horse yourself can you tell if they’re good for it.
How can CBD help your horse on New Year's Eve?
Like us humans, horses have an endocannabinoid system. You can think of it as the body’s police force: it monitors internal balance and alerts you when something goes awry. CBD from the hemp plant can support this system and thus help promote a sense of calm. It has no intoxicating effect, because our full-spectrum oil contains less than 0.2% THC.
One customer experienced this with her horse when it was time to move to a new stable. A new stable, a new herd, new sounds: The nacani CBD oil really helped her horse get through that time. Now she’s looking forward to using it for the first time this New Year’s Eve.
Start about 4 weeks before New Year's Eve so that a baseline level can be established. On New Year's Eve, give your horse a little more. The nacani dosage calculator will determine how many drops are right for your horse based on its body weight.
The easiest way to get started is with our Starter Kit. It contains a month’s supply of CBD oil and CBD treats. It comes in three sizes: S for ponies up to about 200 kg, M for horses up to about 500 kg, and L for large horses up to about 800 kg.
Cannabinoids such as CBD are on the prohibited substances lists for equestrian sports, both internationally with the FEI and in Germany under the FN’s Anti-Doping and Medication Control Rules (ADMR). If your horse is scheduled to compete in a tournament shortly after New Year’s Eve, stop giving it CBD well in advance and check the withdrawal period with your veterinarian or your equestrian association.
You can find more information about CBD for horses, dosage, and usage in our " CBD for Horses" category.
Your horse is still panicking: What should you do now?
Even with the best preparation, a horse can still panic. In that case, your own safety comes first. A horse in a panic will no longer be aware of you, no matter how well you usually get along.
• Do not enter a stall where a horse is panicking. Stay outside, keep your distance, and speak calmly.
• Keep a halter and lead rope within reach in front of every stall.
• Never stand guard at the stable alone.
• Save the phone numbers of the stable owner, neighbors, and your veterinarian’s office in your cell phone in case a horse gets injured.
• Keep the stable aisle clear and escape routes open.
• Know the way to the main light switch and the nearest fire extinguisher.
Once the night is over, write down when and how your horse reacted. You can use these notes to plan next New Year's Eve more effectively.
The Morning After: What Do You Pay Attention to on New Year's Day?
New Year’s Day is a day of rest for your horse. Before letting it back out into the pasture or paddock, thoroughly check the area for leftover fireworks, firecrackers, and packaging. Unexploded firecrackers are dangerous, and no horse wants plastic debris in its hay. Also, take a close look at its legs and body, because small scrapes from the night often don’t become noticeable until later. Instead of training, a quiet walk or some free-range time is enough.
Do you also have a dog that gets scared on New Year's Eve? Then keep reading our guide, " CBD for Dogs on New Year's Eve."
Frequently Asked Questions About New Year's Eve with Horses
When should I start taking CBD before New Year's Eve?
It's best to start about 4 weeks in advance, and then give a little more on New Year's Eve. The nacani dosage calculator will determine the right amount for your horse's weight.
Can my horse stay out in the pasture on New Year's Eve?
Yes, as long as the pasture is used to it, the fence is secure, and no large fireworks displays are expected nearby. Double-check the fence beforehand, lay out some hay, and arrange for someone to keep watch in the barn and check on things around midnight.
Does music really help in the barn?
Soft, steady music can mask some of the loud noises and create a sense of everyday life. Turn on the radio early in the evening so it doesn't feel like a sudden change when night falls. Music isn't a magic cure, but it's a good building block.
What should you do if fireworks are being set off right next to the barn?
Feel free to approach people and ask them to move a little further away and not to aim toward the stable, hay, or straw. Signs on the fence can help prevent this from happening in the first place. If it gets noisy, take care of your horse first: turn on the light, refill the hay, and stay calm.
Should I stay at the stable on New Year's Eve?
You don't have to spend the whole night there. However, it's great if someone can check on the horses around midnight, when the fireworks are at their loudest. The safest option is to have two people on stable watch who take turns with others in the stable community.
New Year’s Eve remains an exciting night for many horses. However, by following a schedule starting six weeks in advance, choosing a suitable location, providing plenty of hay, and having a calm companion horse, you can significantly reduce your horse’s stress. Ear protection and gentle aids like CBD can also be helpful if you introduce them early enough. With each New Year’s Eve, you’ll get to know your horse a little better.
Do something good for your horse – with nacani!
Our full-spectrum CBD, made from 100% hemp juice and handcrafted in our Bavarian workshop, can gently help your horse get through these exciting days.
Discover CBD for HorsesHow does your horse spend New Year's Eve? Tell us about your experiences in our nacani Facebook group, where many animal lovers share their thoughts on this very topic.
