IHWT funds

MEMBERS of Dublin’s Brooke Lodge Riding Club held a pub quiz, raising €500 for the Irish Horse Welfare Trust. Expressing thanks to Brooke Lodge RC, IHWT spokesperson Sharon Power said: “They have been doing this for the past few years for us and we appreciate it hugely. We have 35 equines in care at our equine welfare centre including 12 ex-racehorses and have over 300 equines out in homes all over Ireland. Since January this year, the IHWT has taken in six welfare cases including two thoroughbreds, four yearlings and a very badly injured pony, heavily in foal.”

Judgement reserved

JUDGEMENT has been reserved on an appeal by James Kavanagh (48) of Myshall, Co Carlow, over a three-year sentence he received for serious animal cruelty offences at his property at Raheenleigh, Myshall, Co Carlow.

Legal counsel for James Kavanagh claimed that his client’s premises had been “mischaracterised” by the media as a puppy farm, saying it was “nothing of the sort”. Kavanagh’s legal team said his client had a dog breeder’s licence but was not breeding dogs, maintaining he was transporting them for others who were “off-loading dogs”. The court was told that the horses found there were “strays”.

The three-judge court heard 340 dogs and 11 horses were removed by Gardai and the ISPCA. Four horses and 20 dogs had to be euthanised. The judges viewed a 10-minute video which included footage of dogs eating horse carcasses.

Groom killed in fire

A SHOW jumping groom was tragically killed in a lorry fire at the Sunshine Tour in Vejer de la Frontera in Spain on Monday morning.

Vicente Quinta Sánchez was in Nina Fagerstrom’s lorry when a fire broke out in the living area at 6.30am. Emergency services arrived shortly after being alerted and sadly recovered the man’s body from the truck. The cause of the fire had not been released at the time of going to press.