Former racehorse found ‘covered in sores’ on the mend – and hunting for new home

A former racehorse found tied to a fence in an “emaciated condition” months after his last race has made good progress with his rescuers.

Dash, an eight-year-old thoroughbred, was taken in by the Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ISPCA) after being found covered in sores at Ballinasloe Fair in October 2024.

“Through his microchip, it was established that Dash was on the racecourse as recently as last July and had won over €20,000 in his racing career,” said ISPCA head of animal welfare, Denise McCausland.

“Sadly, for Dash, he passed through several hands, and it is believed that he was used for trotting, before being rescued by the ISPCA.”

He has since made good progress in the charity’s care and will be looking for a new home “in the coming months”.

“With several equines that are ready to go to new homes now, we are trying to find suitable homes, where our horses, ponies and donkeys can continue their ongoing rehabilitation,” Ms McCausland said.

“We have more equines undergoing intensive veterinary treatment, so they will need to remain in our care for some time yet, but we urgently need to make room to help more emaciated, injured and cruelly treated equines that will need to be brought in by our animal welfare inspectors.

“Finding space is always a challenge as we have limited isolation units, and a lot of our wooden fencing was damaged during Storm Éowyn, making it extra difficult when separating our equines, as we are in the process of repair work.”

• For more information, visit: https://ispca.ie/adoptions/?animal=horse

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