A horse has lost an eye and could face being put down after being hit with a firework on Bonfire Night.
Dettori was one of several horses spooked by a large display close to his field at a livery yard in Countesswells, Aberdeen on Thursday night.
The owner of the yard was alerted when the horses trampled down a fence during the loud noises and discovered that Dettori’s eye had been severely damaged.
Dettori’s owners are now hoping the 21-year-old horse will be fit enough to undergo the operation needed to save him.
Charley Taylor, 21, who has owned Dettori for 10 years with her mum Debbie Walker, said: “No animal deserves this. We are distraught about what has happened.
“Both me and my mum feel it is important to share the message about why fireworks are so dangerous, especially when they are used recklessly.”
Former rescue horse Dettori, named after the legendary Italian jockey Frankie Dettori, was not well treated when he was younger and it took time him a long time to build up trust with Charley and Debbie.
Since the incident on Thursday night, he has been uncharacteristically frightened.
Charley, a management and marketing student at Robert Gordon University, said: “He’s not usually a spooky horse but he’s quite frightened at anything going off now.
“He is doing better than the first night. He has a bandage over his eye and hopefully he gets used to having only one eye.
“The vet is coming back on Monday to see if he’s still really stressed and traumatised. If he is, it’s not fair to put him through more surgery if he doesn’t think he’ll adapt to it.
“If that happens he will have to be put down.”
‘The worst year ever for fireworks’
Despite the warning, Debbie believes this year’s celebrations were louder and more dangerous than ever.
The 55-year-old, who runs Aberdeen cleaning company Debbie Dazzles, said: “I was amazed at the amount of fireworks that were going off on Thursday.
“A lot of people I have spoken to said this was the worst year ever for the amount going off. I’ve never heard it as loud as I did then.
“I know people have been cooped up all year and you can’t blame them for wanting to have a bit of fun, but I think they should banned from being publicly sold.”
Charley and Debbie set up a GoFundMe page after numerous people reached out to them in the wake of the incident, offering to pay for Dettori’s treatment.
His vet estimates surgery would cost around £1,000 and further medication between £200 and £300.
As of 2pm, their page has raised more than £6,000.
The mother and daughter pair have pledged to donate all the money raised beyond the cost of Dettori’s vet bill.
The donations will be split evenly between the Scottish SPCA and World Horse Welfare, who run a rescue and rehoming farm in Aboyne.
Charley added: “People have been so supportive. We’ve even had people in touch who have horses that have lost an eye, reassuring us that Dettori will be OK without one of his.
“It’s been awful but we’re so thankful to the manager at his yard who found him. With the amount of stress he was under, we don’t know if he would have wait it through the night if he hadn’t been found.”
Police said they were looking into the incident.
A spokeswoman said: “Around 9.45pm on November 5, we received reports that a horse had been injured within a field on Blacktop Road in Countesswells.
“Officers attended and inquiries are ongoing to establish if any crime has been committed.”
‘The bang from a firework is terrifying to an animal’
Upcoming changes to the law in Scotland will make it harder for people to buy fireworks for private celebrations.
People will soon require safety training, have to pay a fee and say where and when they will be used under new plans from the Scottish Governnment.
Community safety minister Ash Denham approved the implementation of recommendations from a review group last week that is expected to create a “fundamental shift” in the way people use and buy fireworks.
Scottish SPCA chief superintendent Mike Flynn said his animal welfare charity were aware of numerous incidents over the years where animals have died or been seriously injured because of fireworks being set off near them.
He said: “Animals have heightened senses and their hearing is much stronger than ours.
“The bang from a firework is terrifying to an animal and some will panic and flee at the sound, which can result in road traffic accidents.
“We have even received reports of swans flying into electricity pylons and horses being badly injured after running through barbed wire fences.
“Fireworks have a negative effect on many people and animals across the country and we would ask that members of the public take this in to consideration if they are planning a fireworks display and show respect for people, their environment and any animals, domestic, farm and wild, that might be in the area.”