'We've been doing it all our lives and we're not going to stop.' - Ireland

From Newstalk

When people hear "sulky racing", most will conjure up images of dangerous road races, blocked carriageways and lives put at risk. That certainly has happened, and exposes some of the most reckless members of our society and their indifference towards the safety of themselves and other road users.

However, for many members of the travelling community, riding a "sulky" is nothing to do with racing - it's a way of life.
Amid the uproar over YouTube videos and the calls for sulkies to be banned from our roads, the one group whose voices weren't heard were Travellers themselves. Every Tuesday, a group of Travellers meet at a small farm outside of Cork city to learn how to shoe horses. Their teacher describes them as eager, and the class provided me with an ideal opportunity to talk to the group about a hobby that most other road users either are nervous of - or outright hate.

The men talked about how the bad behaviour of a small group of people has ruined the public image of the sport.

'When drivers see a sulky, they just think danger', said one. 'When the vehicle sees a pedestrian they don't go shouting or beeping their horn, getting out and giving verbal abuse to them. But when they see the horse and the sulky that's what they do.'

'It's the same way as a footballer or a hurler gets enjoyment or a buzz from playing their sport. It's the same way with us, we get that adrenaline from going racing with the horses and driving them on the road. This is a sport and a hobby for us and people shouldn't judge us for that.'

I also spoke with Caroline Banard of the Traveller Visibility Group (TVG) in Cork.

She said 'It's crucial for the public to remember that Traveller men are at a serious disadvantage in Irish society.

In terms of their health, accommodation, social exclusion, education, and employment opportunities, with a high rate of unemployment and a incidence of suicide almost 7 times higher than that of the general population. Also, a life expectancy 15 years less than other men.

However, research on Traveller men's health has shown that keeping horses and trotting on sulkies has immense benefits for men's physical and mental health.

The right of a man to enjoy and enact his culture around horses and transmit it to his children is vital to Traveller men as it maintains their self-esteem, sense of purpose as well as a sense of identity and pride in their culture and their history. Trotting is also a inter-generational social occasion, a hobby that brings men together and offers an outlet outdoors.'