Watch: Horse made to swim in middle of Kilkenny by young man with rope again

Dumbfounded tourists were stopped in their tracks by the scene that unfolded in the centre of Kilkenny City again today.

For the third time in a week, a young man on the bank pulled a horse through the River Nore down in the deep water at Bateman Quay, where the high flood walls prevent entrance or egress from the river. 

Spluttering and striving to keep its head above the water, the animal was affixed by a long rope to the man, now standing on top of the wall on John’s Quay. The horse’s rapid, heavy breathing was audible over the passing traffic and the man’s motivational shouts.

The unfortunate horse had been put into the water at an access point at the skatepark under the St Francis’ Abbey bridge, and now it was hundreds of yards downriver, at the Lady Desart pedestrian bridge, where it was finally allowed to turn around and attempt to swim back up the river.

In the Peace Park, tourists and locals took out their phones to capture the spectacle. Several videos of the event exist.

Last Wednesday afternoon and on Saturday morning, the scenario was repeated, another young man pulling a horse through the water where only moments before, the dragon boats had paddled past. On a number of occasions, the horse attempted to turn back but was pulled forward.

Saturday: A young man pulls a horse downriver as it attempts to turn back

These are scenes that Mayor of Kilkenny Andrew McGuinness says simply should not be taking place in the middle of a progressive city —and the wrong holiday memory to be leaving with the many tourists who visit from all over the world.
READ: HORSE-FREE ZONES IN KILKENNY

"I have seen the shocking video footage of a young man dragging a horse up the River Nore with its head barely above water," he said.

"This is an example of animal cruelty at its worst, in broad daylight, in front of passersby in the city centre. The young man should not have responsibility for any animal and should be penalised for this horrific display of cruelty.

"Some years ago I put forward proposals to create horse-free zones in Kilkenny City in order to help put an end to this type of cruely and to give gardai the powers to be able to deal with it and make arrests. It has worked well and we have seen a significant reduction in incidents like this, but it seems to be creeping back in now, and we can't allow that to happen.

"I'm calling on Kilkenny Gardaí to take a zero tolerance approach in terms of enforcing the horse-free zones in Kilkenny City and to investigate these incidents to stamp this out before it becomes a common occurrence. Animal cruelty in any form should not be tolerate and our bylaws should be strictly enforced at all times."
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