Charities Warning Of Potential Crisis For Horses And Ponies

“Redwings is one of my favorite charities in the UK, they do immense work taking care of neglected, sick & abandoned horses; but their name is not as well known as World Horse Welfare etc. I support all equine charities, just wish I could help more.  I rescued 1 but can’t take anymore as I don’t have any fields anymore, I now keep mine in full livery (due to my disability)  which is expensive, but I know they are well taken care of. I do have several virtual adoptions & fosters, which is a great way to help the charities; without physically having the horses!

 Redwings is working alongside other welfare charities to call for government and public help in a landmark report that warns of an impending crisis in England and Wales which could leave the welfare of many thousands of horses at risk.

The report, ‘On the Verge: the approaching Equine Crisis in England and Wales’, predicts that another harsh winter will leave animal charities physically unable to cope and asks what will happen to the increasing numbers of horses being abandoned or suffering from welfare concerns

We are asking the public to rehome more horses; for horse owners to take responsibility for their animals and not pass the problem onto local authorities, charities and landowners; and for the Government and other agencies to meet us halfway and help rein in this problem before another winter of misery for hundreds of horses and ponies.

• All the organisations have seen increasing numbers:
• The RSPCA took in more than twice the number of horses, 304, between April 2011 and March 2012 as it did the previous year.
• World Horse Welfare has seen the numbers of horses taken into its centres rise by 50% from 129 in 2006 to 194 in 2011 and has had to restrict admissions to the most severe cases.
• Redwings has seen a 28 per cent increase in equines being taken in from 2006 to 2011 and has seen abandonments rise from 160 in 2009 to 450 in 2011. So far this year we have had an astonishing 636 horses and ponies reported to us as abandoned up to the end of September.
• Last winter HorseWorld saw a threefold increase in the number of abandoned and neglected horses it rescued, compared with the previous year.

Nicolas de Brauwere, Head of Welfare at Redwings Horse Sanctuary and Chairman of the National Equine Welfare Council, said: “It is an extremely serious state of affairs. In February this year, for example, we had a situation where a group of more than 60 horses and ponies that had been left to fend for themselves in Wales were facing euthanasia by the local authority which had found itself in an impossible situation through the irresponsible actions of a callous owner. On that occasion several charities stepped up at the last moment and offered them a home, but we had to stretch ourselves and our teams to the limit to do so.

“Another case like that may be the final straw, which is why we urgently need the help and support of both the public and the government as this winter approaches.”

Overbreeding

Horses are still being bred on a large scale and continue to be imported from Ireland and the continent, despite there being no market for them. This has led to the market becoming saturated, with animals being sold at some markets for as little as £5.

Economic climate

Horses can cost up to £100 per week to look after and in the current financial climate, people try to cut back on vet costs, hoof care and feed. This inevitably leads to welfare problems.

Both factors have led to a visible increase in the problem of fly grazing – illegal grazing of horses on public and private land. Fly grazing is a problem for farmers, landowners and local authorities, and increasingly it is leading to welfare concerns, as too often these owners do not provide basic care for their animals.

RSPCA head of public affairs, David Bowles, said: “We have a perfect storm of horses continuing to be bred and imported to the UK adding to a rising population and people, suffering under the economic climate, cutting back on animal care bills.

“People need to start realising that there is very little financial reward in breeding horses and ponies, especially where there is poor husbandry or the animals have genetic problems. You won’t make your fortune, all you will have is lots of horses and animals on your hands which need feeding, shelter and care and which you will not be able to sell.”

• What the Government can do:
• – The Government should introduce criminal legislation targeting fly grazing – punishing offenders with fines and seizure of horses
• – Introduce legislation or mechanisms to better link horses to owners to tackle irresponsible ownership
• – Increased intelligence-led enforcement of horse imports and exports
• – Review the Tripartite agreement** that allows the import and export of vulnerable horses and ponies into and out of Britain from Ireland and France
• – Encourage responsible breeding through guidance and education
• – More assistance for local authorities including provision of places to keep horses on a temporary basis
• – Improve enforcement and cooperation between enforcement agencies and charitiesWhat YOU can do:
• – The horse owning public can play an important part by keeping on top of their own situation. If you need help, please contact our Welfare helpline on 01508 481008 for advice before the situation escalates into a welfare problem.
• – If you think you could give a good new home to a horse or pony you can view the horses we have available for rehoming here: www.redwings.co.uk/rehoming. The National Equine Welfare Council (NEWC) is a membership organisation for over sixty horse charities and welfare organisations and details of how to rehome a horse from any of its members can be found at http://www.newc.co.uk/
• – Members of the public can also write to their MP  (click the link below to send email) and ask them to lobby the Secretary of State Owen Paterson about the national horse crisis and ask him to support tougher laws to encourage responsible ownership and improve enforcement. http://campaign.publicaffairsbriefing.co.uk/emailsupport.aspx?cid=defb0b88-91af-4aab-a047-f6aff6db6c97
  

  Tiny Tilly was dumped on the side of a road with a severe leg injury

And of course, please continue to support us so we can help as many horses as we can, just like those below…and thank you for all your support in the past from everyone here at Redwings. Thank you!

Left on the verge

Horse welfare charities need your help to handle what could become a ‘horse crisis’ in England and Wales.

We are under immense pressure due to the increasing number of horses and ponies needing our help. There are 2,800 equines in our rehoming centres, which are now at capacity, and it is estimated that a further 6,000 horses are at risk in England and Wales. There is real concern that should there be another harsh winter, we will be physically unable to cope with the number of horses needing urgent care.

World Horse Welfare, the RSPCA, Redwings, The Blue Cross, The British Horse Society and HorseWorld are working together with the support of the National Equine Welfare Council (NEWC) to try and overcome this crisis, and have produced a report showing the problem and our proposed solutions, but we also need the support of the horse owning public, government agencies and local authorities. 

Please help us by emailing your MP and asking them to support us in dealing with this crisis. We need Government support for the solutions in our report. By contacting Ministers, MPs can use their influence to help us – but we need you, their constituents, to ask them to do so.

News Link:–http://www.redwings.org.uk/news-horsecrisis.php

Loving Homes Needed For 50 Puppies Rescued From Possible Dog Smuggling Ring

 

Fifty puppies were found in two vehicles in Dublin, Ireland on Tuesday, October 9 after a routine patrol by police (garda) lead to the discovery of a possible dog-smuggling operation.

The Dublin SPCA were called to take in the puppies who had been packed into boxes in the back of the vehicles.

The puppies included Spaniels, Labrador Retrievers and Jack Russell Terriers. A number of the puppies were suffering treatable conditions like mange, ermites, fleas and eye infections. Many of the pups had had their tails docked and dew claws removed resulting in minor infections. A few of the puppies are receiving special care as they were too young to have been removed from their mother’s care.

The men involved were believed to have been trafficking the puppies from Ireland to the UK as part of a puppy smuggling scheme, where the dogs would be sold on the black market for several thousand euros.

Since July 1, dog breeders in Ireland with more than six breeding females are legally obligated to register with their local councils. This is to help facilitate stricter regulations now in place concerning animal welfare. However, none of the puppies rescued were micro-chipped and as a result, tracing the breeders involved is impossible.

The DSPCA is cautioning the public to take extra care when buying a puppy online or from roadsides. CEO Brian Gillen said, “Do not buy from the boot of a car or a van and always arrange to meet the puppy with its parents at the breeders home – the conditions the mother is living in is a good indication of the health and welfare of the animals.”

 

The DSPCA is also pleading with the public to report any concerns they have for animals they have visited with a view to buying. Head of Media and PR, Gillian Bird, said, “Many people ring us up to report cruelty to a puppy they have recently bought which may have died or be seriously ill. The usual comment is that they felt sorry for the animal and bought it to rescue it. For the welfare of the other animals it would be better to report the seller, their location or car registration number so a full investigation can be carried out.”

All of the puppies will eventually be found new homes. The dogs, which range in age from three to eight weeks, are now in secure accommodation at the DSPCA centre in Rathfarnham, Dublin.

 

The DSPCA has confirmed that none of the puppies are available for new homes until DSPCA inspectors have concluded their investigations.

“When the dogs are ready to go to new homes, we will put it up on our website and our Facebook page” said Ms Bird. The DSCPA’s website is at www.dspca.ie.

News Link:-http://www.dogheirs.com/larne/posts/2054-loving-homes-needed-for-50-puppies-rescued-from-possible-dog-smuggling-ringsmuggling

Hare Coursing Is Cruel – Please Email Clonmel Park Hotel Who Host This Event

 “Posting on behalf of my dear friend & animal warrior,  Carol Crunkhorn. Please support this cause & send the email below; tell them that hare coursing is cruel “

Dear friends,

Please send an email to the Clonmel Park Hotel (or copy and paste the message below) and tell them that hare coursing is cruel and is NOT a sporting event.  Don’t forget to sign with your name and location.

Many thanks,

Carol.

Additional action:

Leave a comment on the   Clonmel Park Conference, Leisure and Spa Hotel Facebook Page

To:           info@clonmelparkhotel.com
Subject:   Hare Coursing is not a sporting event!

Dear Sir/Madam,

I am contacting you to register my disgust at the Clonmel Park Conference, Leisure and Spa Hotel’s for publicising cruel hare coursing on its website – http://www.clonmelparkhotel.com/clonmel.htm

As you may be aware, hares used in coursing are snatched from their habitats, kept in captivity for months and forced to run for their lives in front of greyhounds. They suffer fear, stress and injuries such as broken bones. Every coursing season, hares die painful deaths in this horrendous activity.

Please show compassion for Ireland‘s persecuted hare species and stop publicising cruel coursing on your website.

I eagerly await your reply.

Yours sincerely,

ARAN applaud Waterford City Council – Motion To Ban On Wild Animals In Circuses

“Well done, wish more towns & Counties would follow”

ARAN applaud Waterford City Council for sending animal-act circus motion through to next progressive stage

ARAN is applauding Waterford City Council this week as a motion to ban wild animals in circuses, put forward by Independent Councillor Sean Reinhardt and seconded by Sinn Fein Councillor John Hearne has been moved forward to the next legislative stage that goes to the Council’s Strategic Policy Committee (SPC).

“This is a mighty progressive step forward as Waterford becomes the latest Irish City to move towards a future without wild animals in the traveling circus, says ARAN Director John Carmody. “More and more local authorities in Ireland are considering a ban on the use of wild animals and now we will be stepping up the pressure for a national ban.

With our partners at Animal Defenders International (ADI) we have exposed physical abuse, confinement and deprivation in Irish circuses, and in these past months we have seen the public put at great risk with an elephant escaping from a circus and a man seriously injured. If cities like Waterford can move towards ending animal-act circuses, surely Ireland as a country can do the very same too.”

“In this day and age there is no excuse for putting animals through this type of confinement and stress, says Independent Councillor, Sean Reinhardt.” “Public support is in favor of bringing these Victorian menageries with animals to an end, and for good reason. I’m hoping years from now the only circuses that will be coming into Waterford will be those with amazing acrobats and human performers, this is clearly the future.”

Read the rest of this post:-http://www.waterford-today.ie/waterford-today-news/16976-aran-applaud-waterford-city-council-16976.html

Recession doubles the number of racehorses being destroyed in abattoirs

The number of racehorses destroyed in the UK’s abattoirs has more than doubled over the last year, triggering calls from animal rights groups for the racing industry to do more to help thoroughbreds once their racing careers are over.

The rise comes as charities warn that the recession is having an effect on the welfare of all types of horses and ponies, with many owners struggling to pay for the upkeep of their animals.

Yesterday’s Epsom Derby, attended by an estimated 200,000 racegoers, proved the continuing popularity of horse racing. But critics say not enough money generated by the industry is being allocated for the welfare of thoroughbreds after their racing careers have finished.

A report by the British Horseracing Authority says that in 2011 the number of thoroughbreds reported dead to the horse passport issuing authority rose by 29%, from 1,994 in 2010 to 2,574.

The report, The Effect of the recession on the welfare of British Thoroughbred Horses, notes: “Of these, 1,127 horses either in training, breeding or out of training were reported as killed in abattoirs, from 499 horses in 2010, an increase of 126%.”

Dene Stansall, horse racing consultant at Animal Aid, a charity that campaigns against horse racing, described the report’s figures as disturbing. “They [the horse racing authority] have not got to grips with the problem,” he said. “For years more horses have been bred than have been needed.”

But Professor Tim Morris, director of equine science and welfare at the authority, said the figures should be seen in the context of the 1 million horses on the UK’s equine database. “While a 126% increase may sound a lot, in absolute terms it’s not a big number,” Morris said, pointing out that the industry was heavily regulated so that the welfare of its animals was often to a higher standard than that afforded other types of horses and ponies.

“To solve this problem we’ve got to stop breeding so many, and then we won’t have to put so many down,” said Carrie Humble, an independent equine welfare consultant. “But I would rather see these overproduced horses dead than suffering.”

Morris said the industry had taken steps to reduce the number of horses entering racing to ensure there was not an oversupply of thoroughbreds during the economic downturn.

The authority report notes: “From 2008 to 2011 there has been an overall reduction of 38% in foals registered (falls of 45% in Ireland and 24% in Great Britain).”

But Stansall questioned whether the trend would continue downwards: “Whilst the supply has gone down, as soon as the economy picks up it will rise again.” Stansall said that, as many racehorses were owned by syndicates, it made it difficult to determine who should take responsibility for the horse’s future welfare after it had finished racing.

“If you’ve got a racehorse you have to commit to that animal,” he said, pointing out it often took a couple of years to calm the horse down so that it could be ridden by non-jockeys.

The disposal of horses in UK abattoirs is part of a wider European trend. The number of horses slaughtered at DAFF (Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food) abattoirs in Ireland rose from 3,220 in 2009 to 7,296 in 2010.

News Link:-http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2012/jun/02/recession-number-racehorses-destroyed-abbatoirs

Circus Abuse & Suffering – Unnatural Acts (Columbia)

“Animal abuse is the same, no matter what language is spoken.  You do not need to understand what is being said, you can see  in circuses, it’s a universal language of abuse, beatings etc. These animals have no life, forced to perform degrading un-natural tricks, just to entertain humans.  I am personally ashamed to live in the UK,  our Government ignored 95% of the public, who wanted a ban on wild animals in circuses.  Instead, a licence scheme will be implemented, which will do little if anything, to save the animals from their cramped & abusive lives!”

Published on 30 May 2012 by animaldefenders

Animal Defenders International‘s investigation into animals in circuses in South America. Caught on film: tigers beaten repeatedly and having stage props hurled at them during training; elephants chained, punched, beaten; tigers and monkeys living in trucks, in deplorable conditions; disturbed, stereotypical behaviour in horses, camels, and a poor baboon pacing on a short chain. Screenings were shown in the Congresses of Peru (where a ban on wild animals in circuses is now in place), Brazil and Colombia.

To find out more about our global Stop Circus Suffering campaign, please visit http://www.ad-international.org.

Worldwide circus bans

Posted: 27 March 2006. Updated: 10 May 2012

EUROPE

Austria: Nationwide ban on the use of wild animals in circuses.
Bosnia and Herzegovina: Nationwide ban on all animals in circuses
Croatia: Nationwide ban on the use of wild animals in circuses.
Czech Republic: Nationwide ban on the use of certain species in circuses.
Denmark: Nationwide ban on the use of certain species in circuses.
Estonia: Nationwide ban on the use of wild-born animals in circuses.
Finland: Nationwide ban on the use of certain species in circuses.
Greece: Nationwide ban on all animals in circuses
Hungary: Nationwide ban on the use of wild caught animals in circuses, the purchase and training of elephants and primates for circus performances and the purchase, training and use of CITES (Appendix 1) listed species in circuses.
Ireland: Local bans on the use of animals in circuses in Cork and Fingal.
Poland: Nationwide ban on the use of wild-born animals in circuses.
Portugal: Nationwide ban restricting the use of great apes in circuses and the acquisition and breeding of CITES listed species.
Spain: Local bans on the use of wild animals in circuses in several towns including Barcelona.
Sweden: Nationwide ban on the use of certain species in circuses.
UK: Over 200 local authorities have bans on animal circuses (more than two thirds of these ban all performing animals, the remainder ban just wild animals). A Government commitment to ban the use of wild animals in circuses – this is yet to be enacted.

 NORTH AMERICA

USA: 35 partial or full bans on circus animals in municipalities in the US, in 18 states. These include AK, Sherwood, CA, Corona, CA, Encinitas, CA, Huntington Beach, CA, Irvine, CA, Marin County, CA, Pasadena, CA, Rohnert Park, CA, Santa Ana, CO, Boulder, CT, Stamford, FL, Hollywood, FL, Pompano Beach, FL, Tallahassee, FL, Clearwater, GA, Fulton, HI, Maui County, IL, Collinsville, KA, Douglas County, MA, Braintree, MA, Quincy, MA, Revere, MA, Somerville, MA, Weymouth, MO, Richmond, NC, Orange County, NC, Chapel Hill, NY, Greenburgh, NY, Southhampton, SC, Chester, TX, Simonton, VT, Burlington, WA, Port Townsend, WA, Redmond, WI, Green Bay.
Canada: Local bans on the use of animals in circuses in 27 municipal jurisdictions including Vancouver.

CENTRAL AND SOUTH AMERICA

Argentina: Local bans on the use of wild animals in circuses in over 20 cities including a ban in the city of Buenos Aires.
Bolivia: Nationwide ban on the use of wild and domestic animals in circuses.
Brazil: Local bans on the use of wild and domestic animals in circuses in the districts of Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Pernambuco, Paraiba, Rio Grande do Sul, Espiritu Santo, Mato Grosso do Sul, Alagoas and a number of bans in cities within another four Brazilian states.
Chile: Local bans on the use of wild and domestic animals in circuses in the city of Santiago.
Costa Rica: Nationwide ban on the use of wild animals in circuses.
Peru: Nationwide ban on the use of wild animals in circuses as well as a local ban on all animals in Magdalena del Mar.

 OCEANIA

Australia: Local bans on the use of animals in circuses in several towns including Parramata and Lismore.

 ASIA

India: Nationwide ban on the use of certain species in circuses.
Israel: Nationwide ban on the use of wild animals in circuses.
Singapore: Nationwide ban on the use of wild animals in circuses.
Taiwan: Nationwide prohibition on the import or export of protected wildlife for circuses.

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Irish farmer Simon O’Dwyer guilty of further cruelty

An Irish farmer, who was sentenced to 23 months in prison and banned from owning animals for life in February 2010, has been found guilty of further cruelty.

Simon O’Dwyer of Garue, Mullinvat, Co Kilkenny was found guilty of animal cruelty, permitting carcasses to remain unburied and a breach of the peace, at Kilkenny District Court on 18 May.

The offences date back to 24 April 2009.

O’Dwyer received a two-month jail sentence and was fined €3,500, with a three-week suspended prison sentence for a breach of the peace.

Sixty-one horses and 46 cattle were seized from his farms by the Department of Agriculture in December 2009.

It was one of the worst equine cruelty and neglect cases ever seen in Ireland.

The horses, many of them heavily in foal, were found without food, knee deep in mud, and some were severely emaciated.

They were taken in by the Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and the Irish Horse Welfare.

O’Dwyer was also prosecuted in 2007 for similar offences in 2006

News Link:-http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/news/397/312747.html

Cutting off the Financial Lifeline to Hare Coursing – A Cruel Blood Sport

The Republic of Ireland has become one of the last remaining countries in the world to allow hare coursing.

The cruel blood sport has already been banned in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland and remains illegal in most civilised nations.

Coursing continues despite the fact that successive opinion polls since the 1960s have confirmed that a majority of Irish people want it made illegal. A Sunday Independent poll, for example, showed that eight in ten want this blood sport banned.

In 1993, the muzzling of greyhounds in enclosed coursing was introduced. As predicted by the Irish Council Against Blood Sports at the time, muzzling has failed to eliminate the cruelty from coursing.

Thousands of hares are snatched from the wild and chased by greyhounds. Some of the hares will be battered and mauled into the ground by the dogs. Some will sustain injuries so severe that they will die on the coursing fields. All will suffer the fear and stress of running for their lives.

Please join us in telling the Irish Government that it is now time to replace live hare coursing with drag coursing.

This would involve a simple transition from the use of live hares to the use of a mechanical lure. This lure is rapidly pulled along the ground and, through a system of pulleys, is made to emulate the sudden changes in direction made by hares. Drag coursing is practised successfully in several countries around the world, including the USA, Canada and Australia where live hare coursing is illegal.

We urgently need your help. Please respond to our action alerts below and help rid Ireland of this cruel blood sport.

News Link:-http://www.banbloodsports.com/

 

Despite a majority of Irish people wanting hare coursing banned, the cruel blood sport remains legal. Every year, thousands of hares are violently netted from the wild and forced to run for their lives in front of muzzled greyhounds. The Irish Council Against Blood Sports is campaigning for a total ban on this blood sport. Please help us save the hares from coursing cruelty by responding to our urgent action alerts below.

ACTION ALERT:

Urge the Irish Prime Minister to ban hare coursing.
Email Enda Kenny: taoiseach@taoiseach.gov.ie
Telephone: +353 (0)1 619 4020

Urge the Deputy Prime Minister to ban hare coursing.
Email Eamon Gilmore: eamon.gilmore@oireachtas.ie
Tel: +353 (0)1 6183 566

Urge Minister Jimmy Deenihan to”Stop Licensing Coursing”
Email: ministersoffice@tcs.gov.ie
Telephone: +353 (0)1 631 3802

For information on Irish Council Against Blood Sports campaigns, visit:
http://www.banbloodsports.com

Sign an online petition
https://www.change.org/petitions/taoiseach-prime-minister-of-ireland-support-…

Follow us on Twitter:
http://www.twitter.com/banbloodsports

Follow us on Facebook
http://www.facebook.com/banbloodsports

As the campaign to persuade the Irish government to ban hare coursing continues,financial sponsorship is keeping this horrific practise alive.

The major sponsor is Greyhound and Pet World, which gives massive financial backing to hare coursing events. In particular it sponsors the annual marathon three-day hare coursing “festival” in which captive hares are terrorized and subjected to horrific injuries for three successive days on a converted racecourse.

Click the link below to send a message to Greyhound and Pet World, asking the company to cease all financial sponsorship of hare coursing in Ireland.

Link:-http://banharecoursinginireland.over-blog.com/article-cutting-off-the-financial-lifeline-to-hare-coursing-105484931.html

Irish horses sold out to highest bidder…the animals nightmare CHINA!

Horse Racing Kills

IRISH HORSES BETRAYED….as Irish Government plans to export to China…a country steeped in animal abuse. It goes without saying that being a thoroughbred racehorse gets you no better treatment from those who exploit you.

End Horse Racing -the cruelty cannot be eliminated without a ban.

As horse racing pundits in the UK give lip service to the horse killings at the Grand National we do not hear many racing supporters condemning the move by the Irish Government to supply China with Irish horses.

The racing venture and racecourse proposed in China will require 600 to 800 horses for its inaugural year, which is targeted to have approximately 40 race days. This venture is to be stocked with broodmares from Ireland, while stallions will also be sent out.

Also it does not seem to matter to Taoiseach Enda Kenny that Hong Kong is the only venue on Chinese soil where betting on horses is legal and that authorities are unlikely to legalise gambling on the mainland anytime soon. While Ireland has no agreement regarding the export of horses, according to the DOA the changes are being drafted now.

‘If there was any doubt that the new IRELAND-CHINA ‘deal’ will mean untold suffering to Irish animals, we only have to look at past and current horse events in China to foretell the future for our horses’.

Following is a chronicle of known HORSE ABUSE already part of life in China….

Not many know that in 2005 at the Beijing racetrack over 600 healthy thoroughbreds were reported to have been slaughtered in the Chinese capital. This was as a consequence of the official reluctance by the Chinese Communist Party to tolerate gambling. This mass killing was unprecedented even in the harsh world of horseracing.

• • Zoos across China are still putting on cruel exotic animal performances, three months after they were banned by the government. In one show in Guangxi Zhuang this month, crowds cheered as a tiger teetered on the back of a horse, while monkeys, with chains around their necks, rode bicycles around in circles.
• • Horse Fighting is still rife in China where evidence and shocking photos of two stallions covered in blood and ferociously biting each other the annual horsefight in Antai, China, where such animal cruelty is considered ‘sport’.
• At the annual event, which dates back a staggering 500 years, horses are pitted against each other as thousands of locals watch, with many cheering them on and taking photographs.
• The stallions are encouraged to fight by being lead to a mare in heat, and then taking the female horse away when the stallions are aroused.

‘We call on Enda Kenny, Taoiseach to reconsider his stance on Horse exports to China and to condemn both Chinas animal and human abuses without further delay’.

News Link:-http://www.indymedia.ie/article/101697

Event rider Polly Stockton is mourning the loss of her top ride, Westwood Poser, who has died in afreak accident.

The Master Imp gelding got out of the horse-walker at his co-owner’s yard in Ireland on 14 February and galloped on to the road, where he was hit by a lorry. “Mossie” died instantly.

Arthur Comyn, who owned the horse with Polly, told H&H he was “very angry” with himself for being “careless”.

“I didn’t shut the gate [on the walker] properly,” he said.

Mossie, who was 13, had been on box-rest with Mr Comyn since October, after scans revealed he had a small hole in his tendon.

The injury meant that the horse had to be withdrawn before the dressage at the European Championships in Luhmühlen last August.

“He was over the injury. I was so happy that he had recovered,” said Mr Comyn, who lives at Westwood, Mallow, in Co Cork.

“I was walking him out in-hand and was contemplating turning him out,” he added.

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