Horse-friendly Irish City Takes Care of Its Horses…Before Its People!
Things are bad in the western Ireland city of Galway. The city’s water system has been contaminated since the spring, when 200 people fell ill and the problem was traced to e.coli contamination in the city’s water system, which comes from a local lake. Residents have been drinking bottled or boiled water for months now.
But when Galway’s fabulous new racecourse opens on July 30, the horses won’t be worried. The city paid for a sand filtration and UV-enhanced purification system for the horses’ water supply so there will be no fear of any horses becoming ill.
On farms in the area, racehorses and the famed foxhunters of the region are having to drink imported water or else the lads have to boil it. (That’s a lot of water.)
Galway tourism is said to be suffering from the water ban. The region is home to the famed Galway Blazers hunt and a huge number of flat and jump racers, as well as the hundreds of event horses and show jumpers that are bred and trained there. (Think: Middleburg, Virginia with a brogue and a lot of really great pubs, celtic music, and sailboats. Does it get any better than that?)
An only-in-Ireland post script: How bad is the water from the lake? The churches in the area have even imported holy water from outside Galway.
