- Reframing sulky
riding in a positive context
By Allen Meagher
Anyone who’s
seen the video of sulky riders taking over both sides of the Cork-Mallow road would
be inclined to think sulky racing was a menace.
Indeed,
prosecutions did follow, an outcome welcomed as much by community groups as by
the general public.
However, the
exception does not prove to be the rule and as Chrissie O’Sullivan from the
Traveller Visibility Group (TVG) says of the urban horse culture, “media
portrayal has not been helpful.”
She argues that,
“The issue of horse ownership should never have become
a negative issue.”
In
1996, legislation was introduced that made it almost impossible to legally own
and ride a horse in an urban area.
The
Control of Horses Act has not so much eroded the sub-culture, as driven it
underground.
If a
stranger were to enquire about who owns any of the dozen or so horses grazing
on land across the road from ‘Changing Ireland’s office in Moyross, they’d have
to wait until hell freezes over before they get an answer.
