10 signatures reached
To: Dublin City Council, the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, and An Garda Síochána
Justice for Anne: Horses Are Not Vehicles — Remove Them from Urban Roads
We are calling for immediate action to prevent further suffering and deaths of horses on Irish roads.
Following the tragic death of Anne, a pregnant horse who collapsed from exhaustion on a busy Dublin road, news reports stated that she was kicked and forced to try to stand after collapsing, before being abandoned on the roadside. Despite emergency veterinary care, Anne and her unborn foal later died.
We are asking for the following actions:
• Remove horses from public roads and urban streets, particularly high-traffic areas
• Prohibit the use of horses on busy roads where vehicles operate, due to the risk to animal welfare and public safety
• Introduce clear, enforceable regulations governing the keeping and use of horses in urban environments
• Strengthen enforcement of existing animal welfare laws, with meaningful penalties for abuse, neglect, or overworking of horses
• Ensure mandatory identification, licensing, and regular welfare checks for horses kept within or brought into urban areas
• Fully investigate and hold accountable those responsible for Anne’s suffering and death
Horses are sentient animals, not vehicles. Urban roads are dangerous environments that expose horses to exhaustion, injury, fear, and fatal harm. No animal should be subjected to violence or left to suffer on a public road. Immediate action is required to ensure this never happens again.
Following the tragic death of Anne, a pregnant horse who collapsed from exhaustion on a busy Dublin road, news reports stated that she was kicked and forced to try to stand after collapsing, before being abandoned on the roadside. Despite emergency veterinary care, Anne and her unborn foal later died.
We are asking for the following actions:
• Remove horses from public roads and urban streets, particularly high-traffic areas
• Prohibit the use of horses on busy roads where vehicles operate, due to the risk to animal welfare and public safety
• Introduce clear, enforceable regulations governing the keeping and use of horses in urban environments
• Strengthen enforcement of existing animal welfare laws, with meaningful penalties for abuse, neglect, or overworking of horses
• Ensure mandatory identification, licensing, and regular welfare checks for horses kept within or brought into urban areas
• Fully investigate and hold accountable those responsible for Anne’s suffering and death
Horses are sentient animals, not vehicles. Urban roads are dangerous environments that expose horses to exhaustion, injury, fear, and fatal harm. No animal should be subjected to violence or left to suffer on a public road. Immediate action is required to ensure this never happens again.
Why is this important?
Anne’s death occurred as a single event which did not happen in isolation. The situation revealed that Irish roads continue to pose a dangerous threat to horses which results in their injuries.
Horses possess both strong physical abilities and delicate emotional nature. The design of these shoes does not provide suitable protection for walking on hard roads while handling urban conditions that include heavy traffic and loud noises and extended physical activity. Horses who fall onto crowded streets experience intense fear while suffering from severe injuries and complete physical exhaustion which endangers the safety of all road users including drivers and bike riders and walking people.
The pregnant horse Anne experienced extreme physical exhaustion because she received harsh abuse which caused her to become injured while she stood alone in a busy public street. Despite the efforts of members of the public and animal welfare volunteers, she and her unborn foal died. The national media covered this tragic event which people in the public area observed.
The lack of defined rules together with insufficient enforcement and insufficient authority response will keep horses in dangerous circumstances which result in their unavoidable death and suffering. The current situation establishes a dangerous pattern which shows that our community will tolerate animal welfare violations which take place in public spaces.
The current initiative protects horses from abuse while it saves their lives and creates safer road conditions for all urban traffic users. Anne’s death must not be in vain. We need to defend all surviving horses from future mistreatment because she endured this horrific experience.
Horses possess both strong physical abilities and delicate emotional nature. The design of these shoes does not provide suitable protection for walking on hard roads while handling urban conditions that include heavy traffic and loud noises and extended physical activity. Horses who fall onto crowded streets experience intense fear while suffering from severe injuries and complete physical exhaustion which endangers the safety of all road users including drivers and bike riders and walking people.
The pregnant horse Anne experienced extreme physical exhaustion because she received harsh abuse which caused her to become injured while she stood alone in a busy public street. Despite the efforts of members of the public and animal welfare volunteers, she and her unborn foal died. The national media covered this tragic event which people in the public area observed.
The lack of defined rules together with insufficient enforcement and insufficient authority response will keep horses in dangerous circumstances which result in their unavoidable death and suffering. The current situation establishes a dangerous pattern which shows that our community will tolerate animal welfare violations which take place in public spaces.
The current initiative protects horses from abuse while it saves their lives and creates safer road conditions for all urban traffic users. Anne’s death must not be in vain. We need to defend all surviving horses from future mistreatment because she endured this horrific experience.