Calls for Garda animal crime unit after sulky horse-cart racing on main road

Video shows convoy of cars running horses in sulkies through ongoing traffic

An online petition calling on the Government to take “urgent action” has been signed over 14,000 times.

There have been renewed calls for a dedicated Garda animal crime unit after footage emerged of sulky horse‑cart racing on the N7 between Limerick and Dublin.

The video, taken last Saturday, shows a convoy of cars following racing horses pulling sulkies on the N7 near Naas.

The charity My Lovely Horse Rescue posted another video filmed last Sunday, in which a horse is seen collapsing before being “dragged back up and forced to keep going”.

The incident occurred at the Bulmers Factory roundabout in Clonmel, Co Tipperary.

“People sat in their cars, helpless, horrified, watching a horse collapse on a public road, a trap/sulky still attached. An animal pushed beyond its limits, then dragged back up and forced to keep going as if its suffering meant nothing," My Lovely Horse Rescue said on social media. 

"This isn’t just neglect. This is cruelty, in plain sight, in modern Ireland.

“We are angry. We are heartbroken. We are ashamed that in a country that claims to value animal welfare, this is still allowed to continue on our roads. 

"Laws mean nothing without enforcement. Words mean nothing without action. To those in power: How many videos, how many witnesses, how many broken or dead animals will it take before you act?” 

The charity renewed its call for a dedicated Garda animal crime unit to enforce animal welfare laws.

'Traumatic and distressing experience'

Last month, Limerick councillor Sarah Beasley called for a full-time ISPCA inspector or dedicated Garda unit to be assigned in Limerick after she had to organise the removal of two dead horses from fields in Castletroy and Thomondgate.

"This was one of the most horrible, traumatic and distressing experiences of my life. One case involved a mare whose poor foal had been standing over her body for three days," said Ms Beasley. 

"Then somebody actually placed wooden pallets over the dead mare's body in an attempt to hide her. I was shocked and disgusted, to say the least."

She noted that while there are "good, responsible horse owners", there is a "cohort who simply do not care for or respect their animals".

"Disturbingly, animal rescue charities are reporting a spike in cruelty cases and are on their knees as a result. ISPCA staff have also been threatened, intimidated, and harassed as they tried to protect animals in the city. 

"I have made repeated pleas for a full-time ISPCA inspector or a dedicated Garda Unit, but they have gone unheeded. It is almost seven years since Limerick has had a dedicated ISPCA inspector. It is an out-and-out disgrace."

Ms Beasley added: "Nobody is taking responsibility. When you ring to report an animal being abused or starving, you are told to contact animal welfare — but they don't have the capacity. 

"You are then told to ring the Department of Agriculture. It is a merry-go-round, and animals are suffering because of it."

An online petition calling on the Government to take “urgent action” on animal cruelty has been signed over 14,000 times.