Limerick City and County Council have spent over €600,000 in the past six years enforcing the Control of Horses Act and related bye-laws.
Roaming horses have become an increasingly significant problem in certain areas of the city and county.
Figures from Limerick City and County Council show that last year alone 87 horses were seized at a cost of over €117,000 to the local authority.
Over the past six years, 605 horses have been seized at a cost of nearly €643,000.
The council has reminded owners that they are required to comply with all regulations to avoid penalties and the seizure of their animals.
It said: "The welfare of the horses and the safety of the public are the council's top priorities.
"Loose horses present a serious risk to the public, especially road users."
Limerick City and County Council enforces the Control of Horses Act, 1996 and the Limerick City and County Council (Control of Horses) Bye-Laws, 2017 in relation to the keeping of horses.
The entire functional area of Limerick city and county is a control area for the purposes of the act and the related bye-laws.
Seized horses are detained at a pound for five days to allow horse owners to make themselves known to the council and reclaim them.
If a horse is not reclaimed within five days, it will be re-homed to a horse charity.
The issue has recently been raised in the Dáil by the Sinn Féin TD for Limerick City, Maurice Quinlivan.
"I have never seen it as bad. We have recently seen the carcasses of dead horses left in areas of the city," he said.
Mr Quinlivan said the keeping of ponies and horses has been a tradition in some parts of Limerick city and has been passed from one generation to the next.
"However, we can no longer ignore that there are many that misuse and abuse these animals and don’t know how to care for them," he said.
The Sinn Féin TD said the failures to address the issue "must end".
"Horses are being replaced for as little as €20 but there is a failure to enforce the requirement of identification chipping of horses," he said.
In response, Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture Michael Healy-Rae said that what is going on in some areas "is a disgrace".
He said the legislation governing the Control of Horses Act is currently being reviewed by the department, with plans progressing for replacement legislation to simplify procedures in the act.
Mr Healy-Rae added the care of horses is a priority for the Department of Agriculture.
Data from Limerick City and County Council regarding the Control of Horse Act shows 101 horses were seized at a cost of €114,715.98 in 2023.
In 2022, 89 such animals were taken by the local authority at a cost of €96,540.79 while it cost the council €97,128.55 in 2021 to seize 91 horses.
Figures from the council also show 128 horses were seized in 2020 at a cost of €144,588.25 and 109 horses were taken in 2019 at a cost of €72,859.
So far this year, Limerick City and County Council have seized 15 horses.
