The Irish Horse Welfare Trust (IHWT) working with Fingal County Council and responsible horse owners from the Dunsink area succeeded in rounding up and identifying over 70 equines in the area over a two day period during the week.
For the first time ever all the horses were rounded up from the old dump site and corralled. They were then checked over by the IHWT veterinary surgeon, micro-chipped and treated for parasites. Passports and micro-chips for all the equines were sponsored by Horse Sport Ireland.
Just 12 horses/ponies were found to have no owners and these were taken into care by the IHWT where they are now being rehabilitated and will then be re-homed. One mare that had been running wild on the dump for over 12 years was among those removed by the IHWT and she along with her young foal are now settled at the IHWT centre. “It was a huge operation to get the round-up done” says Sharon Newsome of the IHWT “However we achieved our objectives and the success is due largely to the fantastic co-operation of responsible horse owners from the area along with the help and support received from Fingal County Council.”
Ruairi O’ Dulaing, spokesperson for Fingal County Council, said “We are committed to sorting out the horse issues in the area for the long term and are grateful to the Irish Horse Welfare Trust who have come in behind us and helped us to find and implement solutions”.
Horses and ponies that are owned by members of the horse club will be allowed to continue to be kept in the area, whilst plans are underway to have a designated area provided with facilities built to accommodate the equines. The IHWT will continue to monitor the welfare of horses on the dump with the help of horse club members in the meantime and any new horses arriving into the area will be immediately removed. The next phase of the project is to have stallions castrated to help reduce further breeding and this is to commence over the coming weeks.
Educational courses will also continue to be run by the Irish Horse Welfare Trust in the area which are part funded by Fingal County Council but the Charity is seeking other sponsors for the education programmes stating that “Education is vital for young people that are growing up in the area with an interest in horses”.
IHWT – Dunsink from Horsebox TV on Vimeo.