Pukekohe horse trainers outraged over planned fireworks display

Saturday, 3 November 2018

A private fireworks display planned for Saturday night has Pukekohe horse trainers up in arms.

The display is to be held at the Pukekohe showgrounds and it will last for just over four minutes at 10pm, but many horse owners who live nearby are worried about the effect it will have on their horses.

Stables nearby were sent emails advising owners to move their horses to other locations while the fireworks show was going on.

Derek Balle, a harness racing trainer who lives near the showgrounds, said he was 'not happy about it'.

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'I'm a standard-breed trainer with about 20 horses and it's going to be a nightmare controlling them all tonight.

'We're not talking about little store bought fireworks here, these are going to be big pyrotechnics.'

Balle said he tried to explain that he and many other trainers didn't want the display going ahead as it was close to so many horses.

'It's just the wrong place for this event, we're going to have to bring all of our horses into the stable and watch them.

'Even if they're not in the paddock, they can still panic and hurt themselves so it doesn't guarantee their safety - it's quite inconsiderate.'

Director of Pukekohe veterinary centre, Tim Montgomery said the fireworks could cause young horses to injure themselves.

'It's very counter-intuitive to have a display down there where there are so many horse trainers.

'Young horses frighten very easily and when they're scared they'll just run which leads to them getting caught in fences and injuring themselves badly which can sometimes result in having to put them down.'

Montgomery believed the placement of the event was a 'great shame' but he did think it was important to create these types of events rather than having people letting off their own fireworks.

'Fireworks can be very dangerous to animals and they terrify not only horses but cats and dogs. Public displays are a good idea but they need to be in towns and central parks not rural spots like this.

'There are so many high-grade horses in that area so I can understand the trainer's worries.

'Horses are creatures of habit and when they get moved from where they are familiar it can upset them.'

The president of the Franklin A & P society, where the fireworks were being held, said a lot of discussions had taken place before making the decision to allow the fireworks.

'It's a private function for ITM who are sponsors of the V8 Supercars event happening this weekend, we have discussed this at length and we informed all the nearby equestrian places near the start of October.'

Complaints about the event had only started flooding in on the day of the event Holst said.

Balle said he had protested about the display ever since he found out about it.

Holst said the fireworks will be let off as far away from the horses as possible.

'The fireworks will not be let off at the rural end of the fields and we are placing them far away from the horses.'

In the past week, Holst said he had received numerous emails using very 'emotive language'.

'I feel like we're being made a scapegoat for the fireworks debate. I personally think they shouldn't be sold to the public, and I feel as though this situation has been turned into a social media scrum.'

From 2015 to 2017, ACC has received 618 claims for fireworks-related injuries.

National Adviser Fire Risk Management, Peter Gallagher, said it was important to remember while fireworks were fun they could be dangerous.

'When lighting fireworks, it's your responsibility to make sure you're using them safely, you should keep your family indoors, wet down the area with a hose beforehand and keep the hose or a bucket of water handy, point fireworks at the stars and make sure you keep your pets indoors.

'You should try to let your neighbours know in advance and not use them after 10:30pm.'

Balle said he's hoping for 'a lot of wind and rain tonight'.