Victory! Barcelona Bans Horse-Drawn Carriages

It has been a long-awaited victory, but horse-drawn carriages are now banned in Barcelona, Spain! The announcement was made on November 15, 2017, and the law will go into effect in June of 2018.

In regards to this applaudable decision, Barcelona’s Deputy Mayor, Janet Sanz, posted on Twitter, “Barcelona is a friend to animals.” However, there is one loophole in this new law — horse-drawn carriages will be permitted during various cultural celebrations and events.

The issue of horse-drawn carriages is serious because it poses a great risk to both people and horses. Horses are highly-sensitive animals who can easily get spooked by the chaos of traffic and city life, and many have even gotten hit by cars, which endangers the horse and riders. The arduous labor of pulling a thousand-pound carriage for hours on end can cause health problems like physical injuries and exhaustion that can then lead to horses collapsing. Right here in the U.S., there have been many accidents and serious injuries resulting from horse-drawn carriage rides, and a number of horses have even died because of this archaic practice. For a full list of U.S. incidents resulting from horse-drawn carriages, check out this report from Peta.

We are so glad Barcelona has made this progressive decision to ban horse-drawn carriage rides, and we hope other cities and countries follow their lead. This is not the first major victory for Animal rights in Barcelona, as the city’s region, Catalonia, banned the barbaric practice of bullfighting in 2011, showing that the area has been making great steps in the right direction to be a friend to animals.

Remember to share this good news with your family and friends and teach them why horse-drawn carriages should be a thing of the past!

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