The horse saved from slaughter and his 'Invincible' bloodline
Aisling Rice from Co Clare, with Coady. PIcture: Moya Nolan
A racehorse, which was saved from slaughter after an animal rescuer volunteered to rehome it, turned out to have been sired by 'racing royalty'.
Co Clare woman Aisling Rice, who runs a small rescue farm, says it is just another example of how animals in this country are discarded when they have outlived their usefulness.
She is among a group of activists campaigning for a greater emphasis on animal welfare — in particular among the country's horse industry.
Nicky Coady, now an 18-year-old gelding, was destined to be put to sleep by the syndicate which owned him after a leg injury ended his racing career.
“He was going to be slaughtered because he was not making money, but thankfully someone close to that syndicate offered to take him and put him on their farm."
Coady broke loose one day, and by chance was met by Ms Rice who was out riding.
She bought him to safety, and after caring for him for a number of months, got agreement from the farmer to rehome him.
However, on examining his background, Ms Rice discovered that the horse had been sired by one of Europe’s most valuable breeding stallions — Invincible Spirit.
The Co Clare woman was among a group of animal welfare activists who rallied outside the Dáil last year.
She held posters of Coady aloft, criticising the lack of transparency when it comes to passports for horses to ensure proper traceability and enforcement in this area.
Ms Rice told the she believes not enough is being done to protect animals in this country.
“Coady raced for around four years, and was owned by a syndicate, but once he suffered an injury, it was the end of his career and the end of the road for him," said Ms Rice.
“It just shows you that once they stop making money for the multi-million-euro horse racing industry, they are thrown on the scrap heap.
She said that when she first rescued Coady, she had no history for him, and no documents.
“I had him for four years without knowing his history, then he sustained a serious injury requiring surgery.
"I brought him to the equine hospital but couldn’t tell the surgeon for certain about Coady’s age or history, but I knew he had raced.
"I contacted Wetherby’s governing body for thoroughbreds, they also oversee passports and the database for microchips.
“I explained he needed surgery and they briefly gave an outline of when he was born.
“When I traced his lineage, I learned he is one of the first foals of Invincible Spirit, the Irish-bred, British-trained racehorse who after retiring from racing, joined the stallion roster at the Irish National Stud.
"I have since learned his mother is a thoroughbred from the United Arab Emirates.
At one point Invincible Spirit's covering fee was €100,000, he was worth an estimated €60m, and sired a number of champions.
He retired from stud last year.
The latest figures from the Irish Horseracing Regulatory body show the industry supports more than 30,000 jobs across the island of Ireland and contributes €2.46bn to the economy.
However, the shocking truth of what happens to some racehorses when they can no longer compete was laid bare in an RTÉ Investigates programme last year.
Images of animals being whipped and beaten ahead of their deaths, caused widespread outrage.
Following the programme, the Department of Agriculture "fully suspended" the operation of the Shannonside Foods plant in Co Kildare.
The programme also found that two-thirds of horses sent to the Shannon Foods abattoir were thoroughbred racers who had raced more than 3,000 times between them.
Ms Rice says many racehorses would have been medicated during their careers with ‘Bute’, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory prescription medication approved here.
“Upon being administered this drug, by law the passport must be amended with a stamp that states ‘not fit for human consumption.’
“My question is, so how are all these equines ending up in the meat trade? Not enough is being done to highlight this.”
The strong bond Ms Rice has forged with Coady since rescuing him is spurring her on to highlight what she says are continuing incidences of cruelty in the horse racing industry.
“I want to remind people that horses like Coady was facing death and look what can be achieved when they are rescued, he is a magnificent horse.
“The Department of Agriculture has been told many times about my concerns, but nothing is ever done,” she said.
“The horse racing scandals just break my heart and it’s all about money."
She said there is also a major need to revamp the whole area of transparency and documentation for horses.
"For example, one of my horses, Tony the Pony, came to me with an incorrect passport. It belonging to another equine, this is commonplace.
"I had a duplicate passport issued to me for Coady. I had to prove guardianship and that I was the present owner."
Ms Rice is part of a growing number of people who are now devoting their lives to rescuing animals who are either sent for slaughter or dumped.
“It breaks my heart to see so many animals all over the country being treated so cruelty,” she said.
“There is little or no support, and the rescues are bursting at the seams.
“I rescued a horse called Dearg from the UK almost 20 years ago and that horse opened my world to this life that I live now,” she explained.
“That horse has since passed away but is always with me.
“I have hung Dearg’s shoes on railings at protests. It is meant to be for luck, but I turned it upside down. Many others are doing the same now.
“When you really dig deep and do your own research, you’ll quickly see how there is a major issue with paperwork on horses.
“Many ex-racehorses end up with behavioural issues called vices, due to their demanding and stressful careers and many also have separation anxiety,” she said.
She said that despite his rehabilitation Coady still has a habit of crib biting — an abnormal compulsive behaviour in some horses from stress.
“I would like to see it enforced that all horses are microchipped.
"In cases where cruelty is present, equines have not been microchipped and the owner cannot be identified, and this ensures they can’t be held accountable.
“I have been involved in rescues and have turned up in court to see perpetrators only receiving a slap on the wrist.
“We have to do more by these animals. I have my horses and sheep, and I’ll continue to be involved, but the dream now is to move to a bigger premises and to do this type of work on a larger scale.”
“I want to remind people that horses like Coady was facing death and look what can be achieved when they are rescued, he is a magnificent horse.”
When Ms Rice’s concerns were raised with the Department of Agriculture (DAFM), a spokesperson said it “takes the matter of equine welfare and equine traceability most seriously.
“The welfare of equines is protected by legislation and appropriate enforcement action where breaches or shortcomings are identified.
“Any reports of welfare issues received by DAFM, including breaches of the animal welfare legislation, are acted upon, and investigated.
“Since the Animal Health and Welfare Act 2013 came into operation in March 2014, 162 individuals have been successfully prosecuted.
"This figure includes 18 equine-related prosecutions.
"A number of other investigations are ongoing.
“Twenty-four of the recipient organisations provide support in respect of equines.
"Since 2021, significant progress has been made in improving equine traceability, including the introduction of the equine census, the launch of the equine chip checker portal, and provision of funding to make e-passports more widely available.”
- This article was originally published on January 9, 2025.
