Horse pulling sulky at dangerous speeds collapses on Bohernabreena road

A horse pulling a sulky at dangerous speeds in Bohernabreena on Sunday collapsed, putting the horse, the passenger and motorists in grave danger.

Video footage sent to Echo.ie by a concerned reader shows the sulky travelling at dangerous speeds.

A car driving behind and then alongside the sulky can be seen swerving before having to brake hard as the horse collapses onto the road.

Speaking to Echo.ie, the concerned driver said: “I first started recording as the driver of the car was driving erratically and I was fully sure there would be an accident.

“I’m pretty sure they were trying to figure out the speed of the horse.

“The horse was clearly being pushed far too fast and could have ended up causing an accident or injuring itself.

“I feel this must be shared so this carry on stops and no accident occurs.”

Speaking about the dangers of sulky training and racing in the past, Conor Dowling of the ISPCA said: “The risks to the animals involved in these races are great”

“The ponies are travelling at high speeds and if they collide with anything or simply stumble and fall, the results can be devastating.

“Accidents can quite easily occur during the training of these ponies and horses also and the consequences are no less severe.

“In addition the joints of the animals take a pounding when trotting on hard surfaces which can cause permanent damage, particularly when young ponies and horses are involved.”