An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business
Seanad Éireann — 2026-04-21
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Chris Andrews (SF), Labour Panel

I would also like to support Senator Keogan's comments in relation to Senator Flynn.
It is another week, and another week of carnage on the roads and deaths of horses at the hands of sulky racers. There was another dead horse in Clonmel, where a sulky horse collapsed and died of exhaustion. Clonmel seems to be a hotspot for these animal abuse cases by sulky racers. In another incident, there were two horses racing up the N7 dual carriageway while the lanes were all blocked by cars following behind them. This, ultimately, is the responsibility of Government, which has allowed this lawlessness to continue. Horse and animal rescues, like My Lovely Horse Rescue, are left to pick up the pieces. The Government has given an exemption from the normal rules of the road to sulky owners, who appear to be under no obligation to hold insurance or abide by safety standards on public roads. They can do what they want and they seem to face zero consequences. It is completely unacceptable. The sulky racers must be held to account.
The Government has also given an exemption to the sulky racers for brutalising the horses in their care. They face no consequences for abusing their animals. They say they love their horses but there is no evidence to suggest that is the case. How many more horses have to be abused to death before the Government acts and deals with the sulky racers? We need to have the Minister for justice and Minister for Transport in this Chamber to outline why sulky racers are exempt from the law and what steps the Government will take to end the abuse of these horses and the danger posed by unregulated sulkies on the public roads.
What is happening on the roads is unbelievable. It is unacceptable that horses, or any animals, would be treated like this. There have to be consequences for them. There have to be measures put in place by the Government to ensure that the Garda clamps down on sulky racing.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-04-21/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:50+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-04-21