ISPCA shocked by sulky road racing footage

THE ISPCA has said it was “shocked and appalled” by a video that was circulated on social media last week showing a sulky road race taking place on the N7 in Citywest.

In the footage that outraged viewers, a convoy of horse sulkies and vehicles were recorded racing down one of Dublin's busiest commuter routes.

Footage taken from an overhead bridge near Browns Barn shows the race being conducted between a large number of cars.

The road passes by the exit that leads to the Circle K Citywest, before making its way toward the Naas Road and Newland's Cross.

While passengers can be seen leaning out of the window of some of the vehicles to watch the spectacle, unsuspecting commuter traffic can be seen slowly moving behind the race, which took up all lanes of the busy motorway.

After viewing the footage, the ISPCA said it had been calling on the Government for some time to deal, not only with the public safety issue, but also the serious animal welfare concerns caused by sulky racing and training.

“Driving horses on hard road surfaces can result in serious injuries and collisions with vehicles and has resulted in the death of horses in the past,” the charity stated. 

“The ISPCA believes that the Department of Agriculture should work with local authorities to identify safe, off-road areas for sulky users where the activity can be regulated appropriately.

“An Garda Síochána already have sufficient powers under the Road Traffic Act to deal with the reckless and dangerous driving seen in the video and local authorities have powers to seize any horse that is not microchipped.

“However, we recognise that it would have required significant resources to deal with the incident which featured in the video.”

ISPCA Chief Executive Dr Andrew Kelly, added: “Driving young horses and ponies flat out at excessive speed on Ireland’s busy roads, often by children as young as 10 -years-old, is an accident waiting to happen. All it takes is a trip or stumble which can be fatal for horse and sulky driver.

“It is also a risk for other road users and another serious accident or fatality is inevitable.

“In 2018, a 12-year-old boy was killed near Dublin when he was thrown from a sulky into the path of an oncoming truck after the horse which was pulling the sulky bolted across a busy road.

“Action should have been taken then to take sulkies off public roads.”