More horses abandoned as economic crisis bites
More horses abandoned as economic crisis bites Original Report by Caitriona Murphy Independent.ie Welfare organisations have warned that more horses are being abandoned as the economic crisis hits horse owners. The Irish Horse Welfare Trust (IHWT) said the number of calls it receives for abandoned horses has increased substantially since last year. |  |
Calls about abandoned horses typically increase during the winter months, but Sharon Newsome from the horse charity said the problem was exacerbated this year by the wider economic issues.
Worst
"We were expecting the worst since the slowdown began. Both ourselves and the ISPCA [Irish Society for the Protection of Cruelty to Animals] were predicting it would happen.
"People are losing jobs everywhere and prices for horses have dropped considerably.
"On top of that some people can no longer afford to pay for livery or for horses to be trained," she said.
The organisation's stables in Co Wicklow are already full with more than 50 rescued horses and ponies, but calls are coming in every week about more cases.
The number of applicants who take rescued horses for re-homing also falls during winter months, adding to the problem.
Similar problems are being reported by horse welfare organisations in Britain.
The Horse Trust received an extra 150 calls from concerned members of the public during the months of September and October compared to the same period in 2007.
However, other British equestrian groups have insisted that horses were not being abandoned.
Funding
The British Equine Veterinary Association president said horses were not being dumped on a large scale or being put down in larger numbers than in other years.
Here in Ireland, the IHWT was one of 110 animal welfare organisations to receive €1.25m in funding from the Department of Agriculture.
The IHWT received a grant of €20,000 while the Donkey Sanctuary in Cork received €50,000.
Numerous branches of the ISPCA also received funding.
Sharon Newsome has called on the Department of Agriculture to provide free or subsidised horse disposal facilities to ease the crisis.
"Disposal of horses is a huge problem and we need a state-of-the-art horse abattoir where owners can send their horses.
"Otherwise, charities are left picking up the pieces," Ms Newsome insisted.
Added on: 06/01/09.
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