Wandering the streets of central Rome and taking in the breathtaking ruins and archaeological history can be somewhat of a challenge when trying to keep cool in 30+ degree heat. In summer time tourists love to discover the city centre walking or looking up to the Colosseum from the back of a horse carriage.
Now animal rights activists are trying to ban this practice. The group, Ente Nazionale Protezione Animali (ENPA) says that traffic, pollution, heat and heavy carriages expose the horses to health risks, especially during this hot season. According to the association, about 90 horses carry tourists to see the city’s landmarks on busy streets full of speeding cars and motorbikes.
Activists say that horses have also been killed while on the streets. “They are in disastrous condition, forced to work in an urban environment and exposed to a million dangers,” said ENPA’s Claudio Locuratolo. The coachmen reject accusations that their horses are overworked or abused. “The horses are our partners at work, and very often, they are also partners for life,” said Roberto Sonnino, who owns five horses and has been a coachman for 20 years.
The activists have appealed to Rome’s city hall to stop the service, proposing that the coachmen be rehired as cab drivers. City hall has not commented on the issue and we don’t know which response they’ll receive in the future. Somebody believes the accusations are largely exaggerated even if ENPA activists said horses almost always ended their careers at the slaughterhouse.
I imagine horses can suffer as many others animals when people exploit them; nevertheless we have to remember that, in ancient Roman times, horses were used quite often: they were a big part in military, daily life, in mythology and stories. One might not think to be an asset to a culture but the horse played a big role here. And the tradition is still going on…
This let me think about Siena, the city I come from, well-known all over the world for the Palio: a medieval horse race that’s run around the centre of Siena’s main square twice a year, at the beginning of July and in Mid-August. This is not only a tourist attraction but a fiercely cherished part of the Senese way of life dating back to the 11th century.
Some years ago animal welfare activists called for it to be banned when an eight-year-old bay died after it collided with another horse. Television viewers witnessed the horse being dragged away by its hind legs. From that moment activists have been going on to contrast the Palio even if, in the last few years, people has been doing a big effort in order to protect horses’ welfare. Today near Siena there is a retirement home where hacks stay after their career as racers. But activists didn’t mention this good initiative…
The Palio is an ancient tradition that lives every year as the first time. Let’s see what Rome will decide to do with the horse-drawn carriage tradition…
Sources: Il Corriere – Repubblica
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Image Credit: Herry+ at Flickr under a Creative Commons license
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