Columbia Valley Pioneer staff
A homeowner in the CastleRock Estates area is urging individuals who use fireworks to ensure they don’t discharge them near horses.
Heather Bosch told the Pioneer that, once again, a group of individuals set off fireworks next to her field on New Year’s Eve, resulting in a terrifying experience for her horses.
A couple of years ago one of her horses was so frightened by fireworks that it ran into a barbed wire fence and cut its throat.
“She lost her mind . . . broke the top strand with her neck . . . people just don’t get it (what fireworks can do to livestock),” Bosch said.
This year she and her husband were awakened by someone shooting off fireworks in the vacant lot at the end of Castlestone Boulevard where they live.
“It sounded like someone in our yard shooting a gun . . . then we heard the stampede (you can feel the ground shake). Our stallion lost his mind, running up and down, dripping with sweat. He was frantic, frothing at the mouth.”
Bosch noted the stampede also “did a number” on their gelding, which aggravated his shoulder.
Her message is short and simple: Be cognizant of where you are discharging fireworks and make sure it’s not near horses or other livestock.
Invermere Fire Chief Jason Roe was not available for comment by press time, but the district’s fire prevention bylaw states that low hazard fireworks may be sold and discharged with the written approval of the fire chief. It also states they may not be discharged from the period of May 1 to November 1 of each year, or when an open fire ban has been issued.