57 stray horses and ponies have been seized and detained by Limerick City and County Council between January and October this year, according to new figures published in the 2024 Public Register of Horses, which were released by the council’s Veterinary Services.
40 horses, 16 ponies and one donkey have been impounded by Limerick council authorities between January 6 and today (Thursday, October 24), under the Control of Horses Act 1996.
This prevailing trend in stray ponies and horses found abandoned across Limerick indicates a growing concern around flailing equine welfare standards in the city and county.
A representative from the Henry Street Garda Station confirmed to Agriland that gardaí receive “consistent” reports of stray ponies and horses in the city, attending to incidents of this nature “on a weekly basis”.
An Garda Síochána Limerick
He told Agriland that officers from the city centre station were called to a housing estate in the Castletroy area of the city this morning (October 24), after reports were raised by residents of a stray Shetland pony, which was alone and on the loose in the locality.
Gardaí seized the animal at the scene under the Control of Horses Act, bringing it back to the local station, where upon it was subsequently delivered to a Cork-based equine centre for rehoming.
This rescue follows a sperate incident in another city centre residential estate on Monday, (October 21), where gardaí attached to the Henry Street Garda Station were once again called to attend to an abandoned Shetland pony.
The case in question was confirmed and publicized on the official Facebook page for An Garda Síochána Limerick, and included the following comment about the two-year-old Shetland pony seized by officers:
“He was in need of a bit of TLC, so we seized him under the Control of Horses Act and brought him to the station, where he was then handed over to the Horse Pound.
“No owner has come forward so far, so he will now be re-homed where hopefully, he will find a loving new home.”
The council has the authority, under the Limerick City and County Council (Control of Horses) Bye-Laws, to seize and detain any horse found straying on public lands within the Control Area.
Horses are impounded at the Animal Care Society Pound in Cork for five days to allow any horse owner to make themselves known to the council to reclaim them. If its owner does not reclaim the horse after five days, it is re-homed to a horse charity.