CLOSE to 300 people turned out at the Action for Animal Welfare Ireland ‘March for the Animals’ in Clonmel on Thursday evening in a bid to have a horse warden appointed to area, where equine welfare abuse cases have gripped public attention.

This follows the Tipperary County Council passing a motion last month calling on the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine to appoint a warden after the discovery of seven dead and starved horses at Knocklofty, Clonmel.

However, the department labelled the motion as a non-runner, saying: “The Control of Horses Act 1996 details powers available to local authorities for the control and welfare of horses. The Act does not have provision for designation of a horse warden but does provide for the appointment of authorised persons by the local authority to exercise functions under the Act.”

Anne Williamson, who runs Cappanagarrane Horse Rescue, and organised the Action For Animal Welfare Ireland march this week said she has no knowledge of any designated person in the area.

“At the moment the only contacts we have are the ISPCA and the Gardaí. It’s not working the way it is at the moment,” Williamson told The Irish Field after Thursday’s peaceful march in protest to the department’s stance.

Letters seeking the appointment of a horse warden were available on the day for people to sign, which many did. Williamson reported that the County Council were obliging and two members of staff collected the signed letters, saying: “They [the County Council] probably want the same thing as we do.”

A live petition for horse wardens to be appointed throughout the county is available to download and sign on the Action For Animal Welfare Ireland Facebook page. The petition already has 3,500 signatures and Williamson is hoping to amass 10,000 signatures with the intention of bringing it forward to Taoiseach Leo Varadkar.

Meanwhile, Gardaí have launched an investigation in Cork city after a horse was left to die in a housing estate in the Dublin Hill area. Disturbing images showed the horse lying in the middle of the road after it appeared to drop dead from exhaustion after a sulky race.

The horse was removed from the housing estate a short time later with the help of a digger and a carcass disposal lorry provided by Cork City Council. Public representatives in the area are calling for a full clampdown on sulky racing and a strict introduction of new bylaws.