Bizarre film shows horse and cart race on motorway, as animal rights groups slam 'aggressive whipping' of horses

17 January 2023, 06:08 | Updated: 17 January 2023, 06:16

Bizarre footage of three groups racing each other on horses and carts down a motorway has been condemned as abuse by animal rights campaigners.

The drivers can be seen "aggressively whipping" the horses, activists say of the clip, which shows a race down the M3 motorway in Ireland, between Dublin and Meath.

Animal Law Ireland shared the video online, with the caption "3 horse harness race (sulky race) on the M3 this morning on the @meathcoco @Fingalcoco border".

"1 horse being whipped aggressively. If you saw this race, contact Gardaí [Irish police]."

The footage was filmed from a car travelling behind the racers.

Irish justice minister Simon Harris called the footage "appalling" and appealed for anyone with information about the culprits to tell the authorities.

"I have seen online video of an appalling incident of 3 horse harness race/sulky race on the M3 this morning. Horrific abuse of animals and a major danger to motorists," he said.

"If anyone has any information on this, please report it to Gardai to ensure this can be fully pursued.

Animal Law Ireland thanked Mr Harris for "calling out" the video.

"These races are happening on the M3 on a regular basis," they added. "There are no cameras on the stretch of road used.

"Races used to be common on the N7, but Gardaí carried out regular patrols to deter.

"These races happen in many locations in [Ireland]."

The group later added that the races take place "almost every weekend in Dublin and across the country."