Horse welfare matters.
That was the message given by over 600 hundred marchers at a ‘Walk in Solidarity for Animal Welfare and Road Safety,’ held in Clonmel last Saturday.
The march was organised by Labour Cllr Micheál “Chicken” Brennan and Independent Cllr Liam Browne, both members of Tipperary Co. Council, in partnership with My Lovely Horse Rescue.
The organisers say the march was in response to recent incidents involving sulky trotting in Clonmel, one of which led to a horse dying on the side of the road.
In addition, the march aimed to draw attention to the increasing dangers associated with sulky running on public roads.
The Law
Sulky racing/trotting is an activity carried out on our national, regional and local roads. It involves horses or ponies being raced while pulling a small cart and steered by a person sitting in a cart.
Section 74 of the 1993 Roads Act outlaws road races involving animals unless strict criteria involving obtaining permission with race operating conditions from the local authority and Gardaí.
The march organisers emphasise that the current illegal practice of sulky trotting poses significant risks both to those involved in the activity and to other road users, while also raising serious concerns regarding animal welfare.
Calls for Action
Marchers met at Irishtown carpark outside of Clonmel and walked through the town. Many of the participants had travelled long distance to attend, and a number of animal welfare and political organisations were represented. Also, represented were the canine community enjoying a walk in the warm sunshine with their guardians.
The marchers made a brief stop in the Clonmel town centre before proceeding to the Plaza area where the large crowd heard a number of speeches calling for a ban on sulky trotting and greater enforcement of horse welfare legislation and traffic legislation in respect of animals being driven on public roads
Marchers heard speeches from a My Lovely Horse spokesperson, Cllr Micheál “Chicken” Brennan, Michael Murphy FG TD, Chair of the Oireachtas Transport Committee, Mattie McGrath Independent TD and Cllr Liam Browne.
Marcher organisers intend to start a national campaign against sulky trotting driven by a local grassroots movement. This work will be based on the message, that there is no excuse for animal abuse.
Government Response
In response to the public outcry on this issue, the Minister for Agriculture Martin Heydon has told RTE news media outlet that, “is not acceptable to me from both an animal welfare and road safety perspective”.
Mr Heydon said that he want to prioritise addressing the issue of sulky/trotting racing on public roads and will be speaking with his government colleagues, Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan and Minister for Transport Darragh O’Brien to discuss the issue further.
Visit/Donate: My Lovely Horse Rescue
https://www.mylovelyhorserescue.com/
To report any animal welfare concerns:
ISPCA’s National Animal Cruelty Helpline on 0818 515 515
Report online at: https://ispca.ie/report-cruelty
E:helpline@ispca.ie.
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If you have a tip for an animal welfare issue, an animal news article, a press release, or just want to just reach out to us, we’d love to hear from you. John Tierney, Animal News Ireland/Editor
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