People Before Profit Councillor Gino Kenny has called on all parties to resolve the situation with abandoned horses in Clonburris after seven horses were found dead in the last few days. All of the horses that were found were on privately owned land which is commonly known as Clonburris little. The lands have been used over the past twenty years to graze horses.

Councillor Kenny who is working closely with the newly formed Clondalkin Equine Club said,” The situation at this present time is completely unacceptable and unsustainable in terms of the welfare of the horses.There are horses there that have to fend for themselves with very little food, water and practicably no shelter. This has led to these poor horses either starving to death or been so desperate to escape that they have died in trying to do so. In one incident on St Patrick’s Day Dublin Fire Brigade were called to help a stranded  pregnant mare which was stuck in a ditch. Local people and myself helped to free the animal, but unfortunately the animal later died that night. Local people and horse owners done all they could to save the animal. It is truly a pitiful situation for the animals.  This problem stems from the lack of equine education and irresponsible horse owners abandoning their horses in the fields and not taking care for them. This in turn gives all responsible horse owners a bad name in Clondalkin”.

“The short term solution is to access the health of the remaining horses that are in the fields . The long term solution is that all parties come up with an equine management plan for horse owners in Clondalkin and work with the newly formed Clondalkin Equine Club. Otherwise we will facing the same situation next year.. The vast majority of horse owners in Clondalkin are sickened in what’s going on in Clonburris but also feel passionately  that a solution has to be found in addressing the issue. South Dublin County Council’s policy of simply impounding horses is failing in Clondalkin. I’m hoping that out of this desperate situation we can find a solution. It will take some lateral thinking on the part of all civic bodies to address the issue. This has to be in conjunction with horse owners to not let this horrendous catalogue of events happen again”