Gardaí in Waterford city were forced to seize an injured pony over the weekend which was being used to pull a sulky.
Members of an Garda Síochána along with Waterford Animal Welfare aided in the rescue of the one-year-old pony on Saturday afternoon, April 15th.
Waterford Animal Welfare attended the incident where the pony appeared to have collapsed on the roadside. A vet was called, who identified extensive cuts, bruising, and head injuries. The colt was also judged to be underweight.
Gardaí seized the pony before he was placed in the care of Waterford Animal Welfare who are aiding his rehabilitation.
The incident has since prompted a discussion among city and county councillors to call for a sulky racing clampdown on Waterford's public roads.
Waterford Sinn Féin councillor John Hearne noted that "it's cruel to have animals running on the road. It destroys their health, and it's of no benefit to them."
He continued: "We need to just say that it's a cruel sport."
Taking to Facebook, Waterford Animal Welfare said: "We assisted the Gardaí last Saturday at an incident involving a yearling pony on a sulky. The pony was in a very distressed state. We organised a vet to attend and following roadside treatment, we managed to get the one-year-old colt to safety. Further examination highlighted cuts, bruising, underweight and head injuries.
"He was seized by the Gardaí and is now in our care. He's receiving daily medication and has all the symptoms of a concussion. A special thank you to Gillian Bond for assisting us with her knowledge of horses, which made a difficult situation more manageable."
The full post can be seen below...
We wish this little colt a speedy recovery!
