THREE MEN in their 20s were arrested in relation to public order offences and a horse was seized by gardaí at the Smithfield horse fair in Dublin yesterday.
Separately, a donkey was removed from the market by the Dublin Society for the Prevention of Cruelty of Animals (DSPCA), on animal welfare grounds.
One man was arrested after he galloped his horse through the cobbled Smithfield plaza, in a common practice known as “flashing” designed to show off a horse to prospective buyers, and refused to stop for gardaí.
A second man was arrested when he attempted to mount the horse to stop it from being seized by gardaí.
A third man was arrested in relation to a separate public order incident. All three were taken to the nearby Bridewell Garda station.
A few hundred horse traders and spectators were present yesterday, making the market significantly smaller than the fair held one month ago during which two men were shot and another was injured with a slash hook.
The DSPCA, with the assistance of gardaí, seized a donkey which was suffering from chronically overgrown feet.
A pony was also found to have been transported to the fair in the back of a transit van. However, operations manager with the DSPCA Orla Aungier, said the condition of the animals was for the most part good and yesterday’s event was well managed by the Garda.
Ms Aungier said she was glad to learn that Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Innovation, Richard Bruton has written to the Attorney General seeking legal advice on the permanent closure of the fair, but said in advance of new legislation there were measures which could limit the market.
“This isn’t just a Smithfield or a Dublin city problem, these horses are coming from elsewhere and other local authorities need to be vigilant and seize horses where that’s appropriate,” she said.
Meanwhile, the Irish Horse Welfare Trust (IHWT) has asked Minister for Agriculture Simon Coveney to consider the possibility of developing an equine identification, management and castration programme, targeted at “problem” areas.
Its co-founder, Sharon Newsome, said the ongoing issue of horse welfare in Ireland needed a long term plan tackling problems such as indiscriminate breeding and lack of education. “A drive is needed to decrease the horse population by being progressive and humane in our thinking and implementing change through management planning whilst bringing education where it is most needed.”