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STAFF REPORTER

PHOTO: J. AGUIRRE
VISITORS to Palma this summer will be pleased to see that a number of the old tourist carriages drawn by horses through the city have been replaced with new ones which are safer for the passengers and easier on the horses.

Over the past few years, a steady flow of letters have been sent to the mayors of Palma by European visitors concerned about the conditions of the old carriages and the horses.

Some animal rights organisations urged the former Mayor, Catalina Cirer, to outlaw the carriages.
However, one Palma horse and trap owner has recently imported a classic new trap from Germany.
Apart from its ornate design, the trap is safer and more comfortable for passengers, the trap is also made of much lighter materials and is therefor much easier for the horse to draw through the streets of the city.

However, according to some of the carriage drivers, despite their efforts to improve working conditions for their horses, they do not receive any support from the city council and importing new carriages from Germany is a costly operation many can not afford. “The council wants us to go,” said one carriage owner.