Horse used during Citywest protest found collapsed

Ottoline Spearman

A horse used to charge at gardaí during the Citywest protests last week was found collapsed and attached to a trap in a field in Tallaght.

Gardaí and an animal welfare charity are still trying to track down the other horses that were used during the protests.

Charity My Lovely Horse Rescue received a call from the garda earlier this week, who said they had found an injured horse.

In a post on Facebook, the charity said that "this poor horse was lying on the ground and could not get up, suspected colic."

The horse "was totally exhausted and struggled to walk", with "cuts on his legs from ill-fitted straps and sores on his mouth from the bit".

Martina Kenny from My Lovely Horse Rescue said bringing the horses into the crowds was dangerous and reckless, and the charity is continuing to search for the horses.

Speaking on Newstalk, she said that there were at least five horses used during the protests, and the remaining animals could be "any of the surrounding areas up around Citywest".

"I had thought maybe they were Clondalkin, but we found that one in Tallaght, so they could be anywhere, really."