Distressing moment travellers leave horse dead on the side of an Irish country road after crashing it into the back of a car while racing it

Travellers had been racing the horse on the N8 road, connecting Cork with Dublin, it is claimed

They crashed the animal into the back of a parked Volkswagen Polo



They then left the horse to die on the side of the road - with blood pouring from its head, neck and front legs

Travellers are believed to have been 'sulky' drivers, racing the horse from a two-wheeled racing cart



This is the distressing moment Irish travellers are believed to have left a horse to die on the side of a country road after crashing it into the back of a parked car while racing it.



The travellers had been racing the brown and white animal on the busy N8 road, connecting Cork with Dublin, when they smashed into the stationary black Volkswagen Polo, it is claimed.



They then left the horse to die on the side of the road - with blood pouring from its head, neck and front legs.

Abandoned: Irish travellers had been racing the horse on the N8 road, connecting Cork with Dublin, when they smashed into the back of a parked car, it is claimed. They then left the animal to die on the side of the road

Cruel: The horse was dumped only metres away from the crumpled car, with blood pouring from its head, neck and front legs

A sulky is a lightweight two-wheeled racing cart, so named because of the solitary confinement of the driver. File picture of 'Sulky' enthusasists racing their traps in Dublin.

The group are believed to have been 'sulky' drivers - members of the Irish travelling community who race horse and carts along busy main roads.



A sulky is a lightweight two-wheeled racing cart, so named because of the solitary confinement of the driver.

The traditional sport has provoked much controversy - with campaigners arguing that sulky racing compromises both the safety of pedestrians and drivers and the welfare of animals.

An eye-witness, who had been travelling along the busy road - which connects with the M7 - captured the distressing scene on camera at around noon yesterday.

Controversial: 'Sulky' racing has provoked much controversy - with campaigners arguing that the sport compromises both the safety of pedestrians and drivers and the welfare of animals SULKY BY NAME, SULKY BY NATURE

A sulky is a lightweight two-wheeled racing cart, with a seat for the driver only, that is used as a form of rural transport in many parts of the world. It is so named because of the solitary confinement of the driver. The traditional sport has provoked much controversy - with campaigners arguing that it compromises both the safety of pedestrians and drivers and the welfare of animals. Earlier this year, five men were jailed for racing horses through commuter traffic on one of Ireland's busiest roads in May 2012. ' I heard in the town that a sulky driver crashed the horse into a parked car - as you can see in the photographs,' said the woman, who wishes to remain unnamed. 'The horse was abandoned with a broken neck. It was still alive.' She added: 'Sulky racing is a common sight on country roads, often with young teenagers driving the horses.'

Earlier this year, five men were jailed for racing horses through commuter traffic on one of Ireland's busiest roads in May 2012.

Footage of the race - which left chaos in its wake - went viral after being uploaded to social networking websites.

Crash: The black Volkswagen Polo is believed to have been stationary when it was hit by the horse

In the video, drivers can be seen staring in disbelief at the men, who were riding the animals among a convoy of vehicles, including police cars with sirens blaring.



In recent weeks, Cork County Council has proposed strengthening current legislation on 'sulky' racing in order to make the sport safer.