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22 Oct 2025

Horse ‘left like rubbish' on Limerick road on St Patrick's Day

'Disgraceful animal cruelty and neglect' - minister

Horse ‘left like rubbish' on Limerick road on St Patrick's Day

The image of the horse has been widely shared on social media

A STRICKEN horse which was attached to a sulky was “left like rubbish” on a busy Limerick road on St Patrick's Day.

The incident has been called “disgraceful animal cruelty and neglect”.

Videos and photos of the injured animal lying prone on the roadside have been widely shared on social media. The incident occurred on the N21 outside Newcastle West on Sunday.

A garda spokesperson said he understands that members of the force were called to the scene and “there was a horse found deceased at the location”. 

My Lovely Horse Animal Rescue, an animal welfare organisation that rescues, rehabilitate and rehomes unwanted, neglected and abused animals, claimed on X (formerly Twitter) that, “This poor horse died on the side of the road while racing and was left like rubbish while the race continued”. A heart attack is suspected.

“These sulky races happen all the time - young horses being whipped to go faster, legs destroyed on hard roads, big money made on bets.

“This is not the first poor horse to die and be abandoned and won’t be the last. Was she microchipped? Someone needs to be held accountable. RIP, poor girl. We’re so sorry this country let you down,” wrote the charity in a post.

READ MORE: Limerick bishop discusses those 'stirring tensions and triggering riots' in homily

Minister of State Niall Collins said he had been sent images of the horse by a member of the public.

“This is disgraceful animal cruelty and neglect. It was left for dead on the side of a busy road. There is nobody around it tending to it in the photos or video. People are very angry at how this poor horse was treated,” said Mr Collins, who hopes the owners of the horse will be tracked down by gardai.

“It is also a very upsetting sight for many families. It is a busy stretch of road. You would have had a lot of parents taking their children for drives, to visit family or going to parades on St Patrick’s Day. It is not a nice sight for children, or people of any age for that matter, to see along the side of the road,” added Mr Collins.

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