A COUNCILLOR has revealed the horror she experienced upon entering a field with dead and severely malnourished horses in County Tipperary.
Catherine Carey said she broke down in tears at the sight of seven dead horses on abandoned land near the town of Clonmel, in a scene she described as “an open cemetery for dead horses”.
A young malnourished horse was seen eating part of a wooden fence while crows picked at the dead remains.
The Sinn Fein representative said: “It first came to my attention on Sunday night through Facebook. Even though I thought there were only one or two dead horses, I still couldn’t sleep that night.
“I got straight onto the council on Monday morning and they assured me that they would travel to the site.”
Ms Carey went to the field the next day to see it for herself.
She told the Irish Independent: “When I got there, I was absolutely horrified. There were seven horses in total that had died of malnutrition and many more skeletal remains.
“A foal was even eating part of a wooden fence because he was so hungry.
“There was another just standing next to its dead mother, which had crows picking at her remains.
“It was such a traumatising site and I broke down in tears. There was another lady there who even vomited at the sight.”
The field is owned by Nama, however, the identity of the horses’ owner remains unclear.
“I have to commend the council for responding so fast to my request. In this day and age, it tears the heart out of me to see how cruel humans can be.”
The RSPCA and a vet were also called to the field and removed the remaining horses from the site. It is understood they will be given new homes.
The gardai have been contacted about an investigation into the matter.
