Horse had to euthanised following ‘appalling incident’ in The Curragh, County Kildare

UPDATE: An Garda Síochána has said that it is aware of the situation and that local gardaí are continuing to make enquiries into the incident.

A horse had to euthanised following an incident which occurred in The Curragh yesterday evening, according to an animal rescue group.

It said a sulky driver in The Curragh drove over a cattle grid, which resulted in one of the horse's hooves getting stuck between the grids.

Information about the incident was shared online by My Lovely Horse Rescue, with the organisation referring to the event as an 'appalling incident.'

The group said in a social media post: "This poor horse was attached to a sulky and ran over this cattle grid getting its hoof stuck.

"Everyone tried to release him but they couldn’t. We organised a vet to go up a.s.a.p."

The group added: "We are beyond angry with the so-called owner who just stood there looking on as everyone did their best to save this poor horses life."

My Lovely Horse Rescue also said that An Garda Síochana (AGS) has been notified over the incident, and thanked both the on-duty fire service crew in the Curragh Camp and members of the Irish Defence Forces for their help in trying to assist the horse.

The Leinster Leader contacted AGS in relation to the incident, but AGS responded by saying that they 'cannot locate' any relevant information.

The Department of Defence was also contacted about the incident, and a spokesperson for the Department explained that the camp duty officer in the Defence Forces Training Centre was informed of the incident.

They said: "The military police and the on-duty fire service crew in the Curragh Camp were dispatched to the scene to assist and An Garda Siochana were informed.

"The military police assisted in diverting traffic in the area away from the incident."

The spokesperson also corroborated the fact that the horse had to be euthanised afterwards.

CALL FOR BAN ON SULKY DRIVERS

Fianna Fáil Senator O'Loughlin has also voiced her displeasure over the situation.

Speaking in the Seanad today, she said: "For too long now we have let sulky drivers use our public roads with no regard for the safety of themselves, other road users, or their horses.

"It’s time we moved to ban sulkies on public roads.

"There appears to be a complete disregard for the safety of the horses these people drive on sulkies.

Senator Fiona O'Loughlin. File Pic.

"This is highlighted by a horrendous incident in Kildare this week but is happening all over the country where we see sulky races at all hours of the morning endangering human life and the horses' lives."

Senator O’Loughlin also claimed that while those involved with horse racing are under 'huge scrutiny' in terms of horse welfare, those operating sulkies 'seem to get off scot-free.'

She added: "When you consider that very close to where this incident happened, there are many that are involved in the horse racing industry, and they quite rightly are under a lot of scrutiny in relation to horse welfare.

"However, to my mind it appears the real horse welfare issue in the country lies with those operating sulkies and keeping horses in urban settings."

Photograph of the incident provided by My Lovely Horse Rescue.