Cases of Equine Cruelty in Ireland
Monday, 14 November 2011 11:23
The SPCA has reported a number of cases of mistreatment of horses in Northern Ireland last week, leaving staff shaken at the appalling ways that three horses were cared for. Over the course of three days, staff at the SPCA had to euthanize three different horses in a variety of circumstances all drawn from poor care and lack of thought.
On Tuesday a horse was found tethered by the roadside, so emaciated that its hind leg had all but rotted. SPCA officers knew that there was not much that could be done for the horse and euthanized it at the scene, before being physically threatened by the owner; it was revealed that the horse had been bought for a mere €50.
On Wednesday, another sickening case came to light when SPCA officers were called to a scene that horrified even the most veteran equine care expert – a horse had been forced into jumping a fence and during the jump had ripped its insides out. Instead of aiding the animal, its owners had originally tried to make the animal move, causing its injuries to worsen to such an extent that SPCA officers had to euthanize the horse where it stood.
Thursday saw another scene of cruelty, after officers had to once again euthanize a severely emaciated horse, left to its own ministrations and completely uncared for. The SPCA is used to seeing cases of maltreatment, but it would be difficult to expect anyone to not be affected by such sights, and many of the officers involved were understandably upset by the work they had to undertake.
Ireland has had a spate of equine cruelty cases in the past, and this most recent string of cases will further fuel the need to look into why the horses are being mistreated in such a way. It does not help that the worth of horses has dropped, and horses are often changing owners for very low costs due to desperation and an inability to care for them. Animal Friends Insurance is glad that the SPCA is working as hard as it can to help out in those cases where a horse would otherwise continue to suffer.
