Beautiful pony left to bleed out and die in Tallaght estate

Beautiful pony left to bleed out and die in Tallaght estate

By Mary Dennehy

THIS beautiful female pony was euthanized this morning after she was found alone in a Tallaght estate with severe injuries to her undercarriage and a badly punctured lung.

The DSPCA responded to a call this morning in Kiltalown and discovered the young horse suffering from a large, gaping wound on its undercarriage – which had resulted in the pony losing a lot of blood.

kiltalown view pony cropped

On examination, a DSPCA vet also discovered that the pony’s lung had been badly punctured, and that she could not be saved.

A spokeswoman for the DSPCA told The Echo: “It’s impossible to be sure what caused these injuries, they could have been caused by the pony hopping over railings, but we can’t rule out that the wound was inflicted.

“A member of the public called us this morning and when we arrived we found this beautiful, young pony with a really large gash on her undercarriage and a punctured lung.

“According to some residents, the pony appeared on the road at around 1am but its injury wasn’t noticed until this morning.

“We’re unsure if she was wounded when she first appeared on the road or if it happened in the hours that followed.

“This all started with somebody buying this pony for a minimal price and sadly her story ends here on a housing estate, severely injured.

“It’s shameful.”

kiltalown view pony 006

DSPCA inspectors were supported by members of Tallaght gardai this morning and a full investigation into the incident has been launched.

“Nobody has come forward as the owner of this horse but we have started an investigation into the incident and anybody with information is encouraged to contact us”, the spokeswoman said.

“Keeping ponies and horses in housing estates is not safe and it’s against the law.

“Not only did this poor pony suffer, but children going to school this morning had to witness this traumatic scene, and witness a dead animal on their road after the pony was euthanized.

kiltalown view pony 005

“And, where is the owner of the pony in all of this?”

She added: “No matter how much somebody loves their horse and cares for it, at the end of the day housing estates are not safe places for a horse – and sadly this poor pony proves that.

“Ponies loose in housing estates are at risk of harm from cars and dogs and from jumping over fences or railings.

“It’s not safe and we are urging people to keep their horses in a suitable and safe place, not in estates.”

According to the DSPCA, its inspectors counted 12 stray horses in the two hours it was attending to the pony this morning, all of which were illegally loose in the area and in danger.

kiltalown view pony 007

The DSPCA said: “We’re asking people, especially coming up to Halloween, to keep their horses safe.

“You need to find somebody to rent a field from and get them microchipped and registered.

“It’s not that expensive but as a horse owner, it is your responsibility.” 

South Dublin County Council told The Echo that anyone owning or keeping a horse, must have it microchipped and must hold an official identification document, known as a horse passport. 

The council, who was contacted to remove the dead pony from the estate, also said: “The Bye-Laws provide the Council with strong powers to deal with the issues of the keeping of horses in unsuitable conditions, which impacts negatively on communities and animals alike.

“These provisions are fully utilised to reduce the number of horses that are being kept in unsuitable conditions, or in areas where their presence has an adverse effect on the community.  

“These ByeLaws prohibits a person from having, keeping, riding or driving a horse in a public place, other than in certain circumstances.”

Anybody with information on the incident is encouraged to contact Tallaght Garda Station on 6666000 or the DSPCA on 4994700 or info@dspca.ie

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