Charity ride sparks cruelty complaints

A charity event has come under attack after a number of horses were reportedly injured when they attempted to jump over an old car.

Complaints received

The sponsored ride in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland was organised by Mountain View Equestrian to raise money for local charityCharis Cancer Care.

However, complaints were received by animal welfare officers at Fermanagh and Omagh council after a number of horses were said to have been injured during the charity ride.

A Department of Agriculture and Regional Development (DARD) spokesperson said they had been made aware of concerns regarding the welfare of horses during the charity event. They are jointly investigating the complaints received with the council.

According to the Belfast Telegraph, one complainant said the horses were made to jump “extremely dangerous obstacles”, one of which was a car with the windscreen and windows still intact.

Crashing to the ground

Photos of the event show a horse falling after attempting to jump the vehicle, sparking hundreds of further complaints on social media.

The event organiser has responded by saying a “few riders deviated from the ride” to jump the car, which was never intended to be part of the ride.

“I did not tell or force anyone to jump it,” she said. “No horse or no rider was seriously injured.”

However, an image circulating on social media suggests that the car was indeed included in the ride as a ‘surprise jump’.

Charis Cancer Care said they were unaware of the fundraising event.