Demonstration calling for ban on karozzini to be held on Saturday

● Demonstration will be held a week after latest karozzin incident

A protest to ban horse drawn carriages is being held this Saturday in Valletta, just days after a new shocking case involving a karozzin.

The traditional karozzini remain popular with tourists but activists have long called for practice to be stopped, particularly during the hot summer months.

Horses have also been involved in an increasing number of accidents on the roads, as the number of vehicles steadily increases.

The latest case took place in Floriana on Saturday afternoon, near the Portes des Bombes. Motorists witnessed a horse collapsing in the sweltering heat, with its owner frantically trying to get the animal back on its feet. The horse was reportedly also bleeding from one of its legs.

A person who uploaded two photos on Facebook said the horse was probably dehydrated “after standing it the burning sun for hours without water”.

He called on tourists to think twice about taking a horse-drawn carriage ride when its 35 degrees Celsius. While in past cases people have commented about the “cruelty” of horse cabbies who try to get the horses back up on their feet, veterinarians had told this newspaper in the past that this is the best course of action, since the horse could injure itself further if it is left lying on its side on the burning tarmac.

Saturday’s case has led to more people signing up for the protest that will take place in Valletta next Saturday, and which was planned before the accident took place.

The protest, which is being organised by Animal Liberation Malta, will be held near the Triton Fountain at 1230pm. Over 330 people are listed as ‘going’ on the event’s Facebook page.

“We protest the use of horsecarriages in Malta. We protest the abuse there is involved when the approx. 200 horses are worked to the bone in the blazing sun pulling karozzin carriages with up to 5 adults in them,” the description reads.

“This practice is affecting the entire life of these animals and it is interfering with the traffic. Collapsing while pulling carriages during summer heat waves, being forced to stand stationary in Mdina, Valetta, Bugibba and other areas in Malta in the 35-40 degrees – Carriage horses are overworked in the harshest weather and most polluted conditions. And we are protesting against this.”

The organisers say there are alternatives to karozzini, like bikes, cars and buses.

“Most importantly, animals are not ours to use and exploit. This unhealthy, abnormal and cruel tradition has to end, one day or another.

“Organisations from cities across the globe have come together in solidarity with the single purpose of ending the unsafe and cruel practice of putting horses on city streets to pull carriages in the name of tourism. Carriage horses are purely a tourist attraction—not a necessity.

“Animal Liberation Malta is advocating for a ban on horsedrawn carriages used as tourist attractions in Malta. The constant exposure to traffic, noise and pollution; the long hours of standing and walking on hard surfaces; the hard labor under sometimes extreme weather conditions such as very high island temperature; the high probability of accidents to both humans and horses which have and still happen in Malta; and lack of pasture, shade and water access are not consistent with the owners’ responsibility to provide high-quality, long-term care for the horses.”