THE shocking number of horses left neglected across the South Dublin has proved that “real punishment” is required to deter culprits, a local councillor has said.
According to figures released by Cllr Charlie O’Connor (FF), 113 horses were seized by South Dublin County council in the first seven months of this year while over 200 were euthanised in South Dublin in 2017.
He said education around responsible horse ownership is essential in reducing the number of horses that are neglected and abused in the area.
Cllr O’Connor said: “There are numerous yearlings, foals and horses being left unattended in our area. Sadly, volunteers and Dublin Fire Brigade are all too often forced to respond and rescue horses that are being neglected by their owner.
“Those who want to keep a horse but live in Dublin South West don’t necessarily have enough of their own space for the animal and they are left to fend for themselves in green public space.
“Gardaí are under pressure to respond to incidents of crime across the city and are unfortu-nately not resourced enough to support voluntary organisations such as My Lovely Horse Rescue to seize a horse that is being neglected or badly treated,” he added.
“Small scale horse projects established by South Dublin County Council help with reducing the number of horses left to roam freely but there is still huge much work to be done.”