Owners abandoning horses ‘should be banned from keeping animals’

Horse owners abandoning their animals have come under fire after an upsurge of reports of such incidents in recent times.

A local councillor has said horses have been found wandering around the roadside in south Armagh and across Armagh city and district over the past number of weeks.

“The poor animals are often in a bad condition, scared and starved,” said SF Cllr Terry Hearty.

“This is a despicable act of animal cruelty and anyone capable of treating an animal in such a way should not be allowed to keep them.

“As well as being cruel to the animals themselves, abandoning them on the roadsides presents a grave danger for motorists.

“These animals could easily cause an accident and the last thing we need on the poorly maintained roads of south Armagh is yet another obstacle for motorists to traverse.

“Animal owners must act responsibly and I would call on anyone who either sees any of these animals being abandoned or comes across them on the road to contact the relevant authorities as soon as possible.”

It recent days police have made appeals to trace the owners of horses.

Although it has not been confirmed in any of the cases as yet that the animals had been abandoned, three horses were found on a football field by police in Newry and Armagh on Tuesday, while two others were discovered at Drumalane Road.

And late last night, a motorcyclist fell off his motorbike as a result of four horses found on a road in the Tandragee area.

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