Horse put down after being spooked by fireworks

A woman has been left heartbroken after her beloved horse became spooked by fireworks and suffered such severe injuries he had to be put to sleep.

Nelly Shell, 27, of Seahouses, Northumberland, is now calling for the sale offireworks to be restricted to organisers of official events following the deathof her thoroughbred Boy.

The 12-year-old horse severely cut his legs, severed a tendon and damaged his canon bone when he ran into the barbed wire fence of his field after becoming panicked by loud bangs.

Boy's injuries were so extensive there was no hope he would ever recover, and Nelly was told by a vet the kindest thing to do was to have him euthanised.

The business owner, who kept Boy in a rented field in Bamburgh around three miles from her home, said:

Nelly found out her pet had been injured after being alerted by a friend, who's horse shared a field with Boy, on Sunday.She called a vet to the scene straight away and Boy's legs were bandaged, but she was advised to have her horse put to sleep.

She sought opinions from two other vets, and both agreed there was nooption but to end Boy's suffering.

Nelly is appealing for people to sign a petition which calls for the law tobe changed so that the selling of fireworks to the general public is madeillegal.

She believes those responsible had been renting a holiday home in Bamburgh, a picturesque village in Northumberland, which attracts a lot of tourism.

She is now in the process of contacting owners of all holiday homes in the area to make sure they inform guests of the dangers of letting off fireworks in close proximity to animals.

She added:

Nelly, who rents three fields in Bamburgh and also owns a Welsh Cob called Opal, would ride Boy every day and said he was a hacking horse she loved to take to the beach.