Animal cruelty in Ireland and Smithfield Market

 In a previous post  – the one dealing with the penguin stolen from Dublin Zoo  –  a friend of the blog quoted Kant’s statement that “we can judge the heart of man by his treatment of animals.”  Well, if that is the case, we are in a very bad place indeed. 

Last week, an article appeared on the front of the Herald Metro documenting the fact that “six horses in as many days” had been subjected to acts of cruelty that were “just plain evil”.

One horse had been painted head to hoof in red paint.  Yes, a horse was painted – such things happen in Ireland.  Another one was underweight and had severe leg injuries, while the animal rescue people had to destroy another one that was covered in wounds as a result of being “thrashed”.  A pregnant mare was put down after she had been “ridden to exhaustion” by skangers.  Sorry, youths.   The legs of another two horses had been tied so tightly that the rope had penetrated to the bone, and one of them also had to be destroyed.

Only a few weeks ago, Socialist councillor Ruth Coppinger called for “young people” to be allotted free grazing space for their numerous horses running wild in parts of Dublin.   Just in case any of you are not fully familiar with contemporary life in Ireland, I should inform you that it is “normal” to see horses, in various stages of degeneration, running/hobbling around certain housing estates.

What happens is local kids go into Smithfield Horse Market, buy a couple of  piebalds, take them back to their estates, and let them run wild.  This phenomenon is most prevalent in localities that seem to be permanently blighted by unemployment – even in the boom times.  Coppinger justified her request roughly on the grounds that horse riding is not that much different, recreation-wise, to playing football.  And we have football pitches, right?  The ones that have not been wrecked, anyway.

I disagree.  Far from encouraging people to go out and buy horses they can’t look after, she should be calling for the closure of Smithfield Horse Market – or at least demanding basic regulations on transactions carried out there.  The Dublin Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals has repeatedly called for the mandatory microchipping and licensing of horses.    I would have thought that this is a reasonable request, but it is one that has been consistently ignored by the authorities. 

There is a responsibility implicit in taking ownership of an animal that goes beyond handing over a few Euro at a dodgy market.

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