Denis Lynch acts to help Ireland’s abandoned horses

Irish showjumper Denis Lynch is launching a campaign to raise money and find new homes for Ireland’s neglected and abandoned horses.

Denis wants to raise “a substantial amount of money” to help the Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ISPCA) deal with the country’s horse crisis.

Last year H&H highlighted the suffering in Ireland, where where ponies and horses have have become terribly undervalued as a result of overbreeding and the economic downturn (news feature, 19 August 2010).

“The subject has been preying on my mind for months. I had to do something. Horses should not treated like this,” said Denis, who hails from Co Tipperary but is based in Germany.

“Being in showjumping I have access to some very affluent people and I have already got a number of donations to my fund,” he added.

Denis launches his appeal at the CSI4* in Basel this week and hopes to encourage fellow riders and owners to contribute.

ISPCA chief executive Noel Griffin said: “We are extremely grateful for Denis’ offer of help. We have a very severe problem, with more horses needing help them we can cope with.”

After recuperation, some of the horses rescued by Irish charities could make riding school horses and hunters, believes Denis, and he hopes to expand his help to the ISPCA to help find new homes for them.

“I have already had 600 or so offers from people who are able to help rehome these horses and there are breeders in Holland and Germany who are willing to look after horses while they recover,” said Denis.

But no arrangement has yet been agreed with the ISPCA.

“We still need to discuss all the details,” said Mr Griffin.

If you would like to donate to the account, banking details are:

Donation account: Irish Horses

Account number: 19038011 at the Fellbacher Bank

Sort code: 60261329

IBAN: DE90 6026 1329 0019 0380 11

BIC: GENODES1FBB

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