Following on from the death of a horse related to a sulky incident between Mitchelstown and Cahir on the N8 last week, there have been calls for sulky racing to be banned to protect horses.

A new Facebook page was also set up within hours of the incident called Ban Illegal Sulky Racing and the reaction on it has been immense, with more than 2,700 Likes. They have also set up an online petition, which has received strong support. Within hours, the Facebook page had garnered support from more than 300 people and this number kept rising as support continued to grow.

The page was set up with the statement: “This is a new page where hopefully the animal lovers of Ireland can unite to get rid of what is a cruel and dangerous sport. Please report any instances of illegal racing that you might see. We will make sure it gets to the proper authorites!!!”

Meanwhile, in light of recent incidents, including the one The Avondhu reported on last week where a horse was left to die on the side of the road after a sulky driver had crashed into a parked car, the ISPCA has called for a ban of sulkies on public roads.

In a statement, it was said that incidents in recent days demonstrate the potentially catastrophic results of the irresponsible use of horse drawn sulkies.
 
“Time and time again, the ISPCA is left to pick up the pieces in coming to the aid of unfortunate horses that have been injured as a result of the reckless use of sulkies,” ISPCA Chairperson Barbara Bent said.

She added that there should be a ban on road trotting ‘for the safety of the general public and the animals involved’.