Over 400 horses were seized by Limerick City and County Council (LCCC) between 2021 and 2025, according to figures from the Department of Agriculture. 70 seizures were recorded in Limerick last year alone, making it the second largest county behind Cork City and County Councils. While this figure marks a decrease in the number of horses seized in 2024 (87) and 2023 (101), the frequency in which seizures are reported has increased. Limerick Post reporter Sarah Coleman looks at the laws around horse ownership and seizures, and what can be done on the ground to reduce the stark figures.
ONLY this week, four horses were seized by the Council from the Crescent Shopping Centre in Dooradoyle on one day alone (March 24). So far this year, 17 horses have been seized by the Council.
And in March 2025 it was revealed that the Council spent over €600,000 in enforcing the Control of Horses Act and related bye-laws. From 2018 to 2024, there were over 600 horse seizures recorded in Limerick at a cost of nearly €643,000.
In a statement provided to this newspaper, a spokeswoman for LCCC said the local authority’s “Veterinary Services section is responsible for enforcing the Control of Horses Act 1996 in Limerick and the Limerick City and County Council (Control of Horses) Bye-Laws 2017”.
“The team works in close collaboration with An Garda Síochána in this regard. The Council has privately contracted 24-hour pound services, who carry out horse seizures on behalf of the Council. Pound staff have been appointed as authorised persons under the Act.”
The Council also coordinates operations with Gardaí to regularly seize straying horses.
In response to what the local authority describes as “a historically significant issue for communities”, the Council said it engages with “key stakeholders” who “expend considerable time and resources annually dealing with this ongoing problem”.
“Cultural attitudes towards horse ownership – viewed by some as a right without a responsibility – contribute to the issue,” the Council claimed.
Despite this, there has been much controversy on either side of the debate around the seizure of stray horses in Limerick, and their being left to their own devices in public areas across the city and county.
What does the law say?
An authorised person or a member of the Garda Síochána may seize horses in accordance with Section 37 of the Control of Horses Act, 1996. Under Limerick City and County Council (Control of Horses) Bye-Laws 2017, seized horses are detained for five days from the date of seizure.
Any person who owns or keeps a horse must hold a current Horse Licence for each horse, although there are some exemptions laid out in the Bye-Laws.
Individuals concerned about a horse straying on public land or owners who believe their horse has been seized can contact Limerick City and County Council Customer Service on 061 556 000 during working hours. The Council does not have any powers under animal welfare legislation. This falls under the remit of the Department of Agriculture, the ISPCA, and Gardaí.
However, concerns have been raised by some that horse owners, many of whom are acting in good faith, don’t have an adequate understanding of these laws.
Eadoin O’Connell is the founder of Siúl Liom Equine Learning Centre in Mungret, which offers equine social learning and therapeutic riding sessions for children and adults of all needs and abilities. Speaking to the Limerick Post, Eadoin said horse seizures are a common occurrence for some of the people she works with.
“The vast majority don’t have a full awareness of what is involved looking after a horse or owning a horse, and I think that’s where some of the difficulties or issues might arise. As part of our work, we include how to care for a horse, how to read their body language, and how they communicate and interact.”
“But even though we’re educating people on the horse’s welfare and their care, it’s kind of the tip of the iceberg because there’s still a lot of background work that goes on with their health and wellbeing … and all of the extra support that horses need to make sure they’re at their best.”
The cost of maintaining a horse is also a barrier, according to Ms O’Connell, who explains many don’t realise how expensive it can be.
The annual cost of just one horse can be up to €10,000 for businesses like Siúl Liom, but prices may vary depending on the individual horse and what it’s used for.
What needs to change?
Education and increased awareness of what horse ownership entails is one move suggested by Ms O’Connell in an effort to tackle the rise in abandoned horses and seizures.
Some horse owners believe the current process and legislation is unfair and not transparent enough.
Ms O’Connell said that “there can be a gap in how it’s explained and the process of seizing the horse and how that has been carried out”.
“We definitely come from a point of view that the majority of people we have met want to care for their horses and have good intentions but don’t always have the knowledge or education or facilities or funding to do so; it’s a very expensive pastime and hobby to have.”
“I think some people can feel that they’re left on the outside of that process, whereas if we can bring them in with us, then it may be a better outcome all round for the horses.”
Limerick Animal Welfare (LAW) is also calling on the Department of Agriculture to enforce microchip legislation for horse owners. The animal charity says it receives daily emergency calls to attend abandoned horses, many of whom are in very ill health.
“Sometimes we are just too late to intervene, the suffering is unbearable to witness by volunteers out there trying to help. Our stables are almost at capacity here at the sanctuary. People who do not have adequate facilities to keep an animal should not have one. Laws need to be enforced. Rescues all over the country cannot physically, mentally, or monetarily cope with the scale of this problem,” said LAW founder Marion Fitzgibbon.
She said that “owners need to be held accountable” to “stop this needless horrendous suffering”.
– Court Reporting Scheme