Numbers of horses seized in Cork on the increase

The number of horses seized in Cork last year shows an increase compared to previous years.

A total of 65 horses were seized in Cork in the first nine months of 2025, data shows, with 48 seized in Cork city and 17 in Cork county, marking an increase on the 64 horses seized in Cork city and county in the whole of 2024.

Of the horses seized up to the end of September 2025, three were reclaimed by owners, 15 were re-homed, and none were euthanised, marking the fifth year in a row without any stray horses having to be euthanised.

Martina Kenny of My Lovely Horse Rescue told The Echo that they are called out to help when there is a welfare issue with a horse, if it is sick, stuck in something, tied up, or likely to die.

“We try to get prosecution on those cases,” she said. 

“We usually go out to horses in urban areas. A lot of them have fallen down or gotten stuck somewhere. It’s pretty devastating out there.

She added that while the organisation’s costs for last year were €1.5m, it received just €90,000 from the State.

“We really rely on the public to help us. We get some donations from businesses, but without the public we’d be lost,” she said.

One example was Ellie, found on a muddy patch of ground in woods, tied up by a 30ft rope, with a bucket of old green water too far away to reach. My Lovely Horse assisted gardaí in rescuing Ellie, who otherwise could have died, Ms Kenny said.

Ellie has since been adopted by one of their volunteers.

It comes as 85 incidents of reported animal cruelty were investigated last year by authorised officers based in the regional veterinary clinic in Blackpool, which covers Cork North, Cork South, and Kerry.

Agriculture minister Martin Heydon provided this data in response to a parliamentary question from Sinn Féin TD Thomas Gould, saying that of 1,000 national officers, just 33 are based in the Blackpool office.

Mr Gould expressed concern that there were insufficient staff, investigations, and actions taken into animal cruelty in Cork, telling The Echo that 65 horse seizures is a tiny number compared to the number of horses being mistreated.

“We know that animals — horses, dogs, cats, and more — are being mistreated across Cork. Without sufficient authorised officers, these investigations can’t be carried out,” he said.