Irish Equines Face Dire Future

Newsdate: Tue, 28 Jun 2011 - 09:49 am
Location: MONASTEREVIN, Ireland

Mr Cash, a career buyer and seller of horses and his fellow equine experts say that Ireland is facing a serious horse crisis. 

"Horses are being abandoned across the country," said Barbara Bent, chairman of the Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ISPCA).

"Before the crisis, people were prepared to look after old or poorly-bred animals. Now they are just being dumped in woodlands in the middle of the night. It's a huge problem – and no one is prepared to take responsibility."

"People bought horses as status symbols. Builders, plumbers, postmen would make a fortune, move out of the cities, buy a house in the country, and take on a few horses. "But now, that's unrealistic. People are stuck with huge mortgages and no job. What will happen when the summer grasses die off and feeding becomes expensive?"

Keeping a horse has now become a luxury which far fewer in Ireland can now afford. With feeding, farriers' bills, shelter, grazing and vets' visits to pay for, the cost for keeping one animal can easily run into several hundred euros a month.

To shoe a horse will cost €50 (£41.50) every six to eight weeks; the price of a large bale of hay has now risen to €35 (29); grazing may have to be rented; and there are dental checks, regular worming, vaccinations and tack to pay for.

And this against Ireland's bleak economic backdrop: in June, unemployment reached a 16-year high of almost 14 per cent, while the government is cutting spending sharply to control its runaway budget deficit.

All this and a surfeit of animals means an uncertain future for many horses.

"Our rescue centres are chock-a-block full," said Sharon Newsome, co-founder of the Irish Horse Welfare Trust. "We are used to being pushed in the lean winter months, but have never, ever operated at full capacity over the summer. Our re-homing is down, and we don't know what we will do."

"My father used to breed them, but that was when they were worth something," she said. "It's much harder now. Farmers won't give you land to graze them on. Many are turned out on common land and left to die. It's really sad."

Mrs Doran, whose own horses are not in bad condition, knows she will have to sell many before the winter comes.

But that may not be easy. Mr Cash, the dealer, said that at the recent Kerry Horse Sales just nine of the 150 horses listed for auction were sold.

"We need to go back to producing and breeding quality horses," he said. "Good horses still sell. But there are too many poor ones with no hope."

About the Author

Flossie Sellers

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As an animal lover since childhood, Flossie was delighted when Mark, the CEO and developer of EquiMed asked her to join his team of contributors.

She enrolled in My Horse University at Michigan State and completed a number of courses in everything related to horse health, nutrition, diseases and conditions, medications, hoof and dental care, barn safety, and first aid.

Staying up-to-date on the latest developments in horse care and equine health is now a habit, and she enjoys sharing a wealth of information with horse owners everywhere.

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