Woman “heartbroken” after beloved horse of 18 years is put down following New Year’s fireworks terror

A WOMAN has been left “heartbroken” after her beloved horse of 18 years had to be put down following internal injuries suffered in a night of New Year’s fireworks terror.

Joanna Barnett’s Connemara pony Talullah had been with the family for almost two decades before she was fatally injured on Saturday after running through a wooden fence.

The 40-year-old’s “horse of a lifetime” was left in horrific pain after smashing blindly through the fence in a state of panic when fireworks were suddenly let off from a neighbouring house.

Joanna, from Horley, Surrey, was then left with the heartbreaking decision to euthanise her “best friend” on New Year’s Day when 22-year-old Talullah’s suffering grew worse.

Prop modeller Joanna took to social media on Monday to share her grief amid a desperate plea for fireworks to be regulated.

She wrote: “On New Year’s Day my horse of a lifetime and best friend Talullah, who I had owned for 18 years, had to be put to sleep.

“This was a direct result of our neighbours letting off fireworks close by. Talullah was usually reasonably calm with fireworks.

“Combined with the terrible weather that night, we thought that the risk of random unplanned displays would be minimised. However, we couldn’t have predicted what fireworks people choose to let off.

“Tragically what was let off on New Year’s Eve was so terrifying to her that she ran blindly straight through a solid wooden fence. She came to a stop on a local road.

“The police attended and closed the road and called the emergency vet.

“I got to the scene (with my children in the car) to find my horse lying in the road. A horrific scene that I will never be able to forget.

“With the help of a vet and police escorts we managed to get Talullah up and home.

“We tried to get her stable and comfortable as for a while we were hopeful that she might get through the shock, potential internal injuries and the colic that was caused by her terror.

“By 1pm on New Year’s Day, she was seriously ill and was suffering.

“Under the vets’ guidance l did the only thing that I could for her and made her pain end, she was euthanised.

“My horse of a lifetime is dead and suffered a horrific painful death and a massive vet bill.

“I can’t stop thinking about what I saw and how she suffered so horrendously, I keep seeing flashbacks, all so people can enjoy fireworks at home.

“I am sorry to say it but this unnecessary suffering was a direct result of people setting off fireworks in their back gardens.

“I completely understand that some people will have absolutely no idea of the potential damage and suffering that fireworks can cause, so my aim is to help those people to get a better understanding of the problem and explain why we have got to put a stop to the excessive use of fireworks near livestock.

“We all totally understand that people want to enjoy fireworks, but was it really worth the pain and suffering that it has caused, just to have them at home?

“In future, I beg you to please consider going to a well publicised, organised display, instead of doing one at home.

“There are so many displays at various times of the year for different religions and celebrations. Most of them are organised to raise money for a charity which is even better.

“My heart is broken, we have lost our very much loved family pet, my horse of a lifetime gone forever for someone’s few minutes of gratification.

“Please can we come together to make sure no other animals suffer a horrific tragic death like my best friend Talullah did.”

Joanna’s heartwrenching post has received over 2,200 likes and more than 100 comments from users who flocked to share their sympathies.

Maria Hall wrote: “So sorry Jo, I know how utterly traumatic this has been for you to deal with and a tragic end for beautiful Talullah. Such an avoidable situation.

“If you can at least raise awareness then at least something positive can come from such a horrendous event.”

Stephanie Pearce wrote: “Oh Jo I’m so very sorry to hear this, such a waste of a life. Talullah will always hold a special place in my heart.

“This is utterly devastating to read let alone witness yourself. Sending you all so much love. RIP dear Talullah.”

John Kenny wrote: “It’s important you send this detailed message Jo. A real service for Talullah and all horses. Many people just don’t know.”

Alice Backhouse wrote: “It’s totally horrendous.

“I cannot understand how we can only buy 2 packets of paracetamol in a shop and yet we can buy a crate of fireworks, basically explosives for ‘fun’ and do whatever they want with them. Poor lulu. RIP little pony.”

Joanna’s mum, Anna Szkoda wrote: “As Jo’s mum, I have seen the shock and grief that has come to her and her family, and witnessed the terrible suffering of poor Talullah before she was put to sleep.

“She was originally rescued by Jo as a young horse and has been part of her life ever since. You don’t have to be a horse lover to understand what has happened and how horrible it is.”

Speaking today Joanna said: “Someone who I know told me that a grey pony in a nice rug had been found.

“She didn’t think it could be Talullah as she knew that Talullah was secure but was sharing the message anyway. It is lucky that she did.

“I ran straight out to her paddock but couldn’t see her. I called her and she didn’t whinny back.

“It was only then that I found that the solid wooden fence at the edge of our property had been smashed straight through.

“To be clear this was a solid panel fence, not post and rail. She must have been terrorised to have run blindly at a ‘dead-end’ like that. I can’t imagine how frightened she must have been.

“The scene was horrific – my best friend was lying in the road. I initially thought she was dead. I can’t really describe how I felt in that that moment. It was just horrifying.

“It was obvious at this point that Talullah was seriously ill. She had clearly been terrorised and had probably been running for a long time before she lay down on the road.

“Horses don’t just lie on roads, they are really picky about where they sleep. They don’t lie near people or strangers. She must have been so tired and hurt to do this. It isn’t natural.

“It wasn’t long before the emergency vet arrived that the police had called. This wasn’t my normal vet but they were excellent.

“Talullah literally smelled the vet and stood up. She never really liked annual vet visits, her last was the week before Christmas so I guess the smell of the vet was fresh in her mind.

“We got her back to her stable and the vet sedated her and gave her a strong pain relief injection.

“The main risks at that stage were shock and colic – both of which can kill a horse but we also didn’t know what internal injuries she may have had.

“The vet performed a rectal exam and said that it was best to give her fluids so put a tube up her nose which I held in place while the fluids were administered. It was then a matter of time – waiting and seeing.

“But very quickly she started to deteriorate. Talullah started shaking violently, sweating so profusely that it was literally running off of her.

“She fell down, her breathing was laboured, and she was burping which is totally unnatural for a horse.

“I called the vet again as by this point I knew there would be no good outcome and I wanted her suffering to stop as quickly as possible.

“Another vet arrived just before 4pm. They got there as quickly as they could but they had been dealing with other emergencies including fireworks-related colic.

“The vet gave us the option of taking her to the hospital but I really felt that that would only cause harm or suffering and the chance of a positive outcome was minimal.

“I couldn’t do that to her and I owed her more than that.

“I told the vet what I wanted to happen – they listened to her heart rate which was 120bpm – critically ill for a horse.

“Upon listening to the heart rate the vet agreed entirely with the decision that had been made and we quickly got her up and moved her to a safe open space.

“The hideous part of having your best friend put down is that you need to think practically as well as how her body would be removed.

“We, therefore, had to get her to walk to the front of our property where there was a large open grassy space closer to the access to the road. How horrific is that?

“The vet gave her a series of injections that caused her to die. It was the most heartbreaking thing I have ever been through.

“This was all because people decided to set off fireworks. It’s completely unnecessary suffering.”

Surrey Police are currently investigating the incident and have been contacted for

A spokesperson for Surrey Police said today: “Officers attended Brickfield Road, Outwood at around 8am on 1 January after receiving reports of a horse in the road.

“The owner was identified, and the horse was removed from the road.””