“Sunshades for horses” protest

Joan Collins REPRESENTATIVES of the Balearic Platform for the Defence of Animals (BALDEA) will demonstrate today at 10am in the Arenal area, carrying placards saying, “Sunshades for horses now!”. The demonstration is timed to coincide with the annual inspection of the horse drawn carriages. The Platform is demanding that sunshades be provided for the horses so that they have some shade in the summer, a promise which was made to them (and done) some years ago by Palma council. Various animal protection associations on the island have been fighting for better working conditions for these horses for more than 10 years. These animals work practically all day in the sun in summer and need at least some shade while they are waiting for customers, said Platform sources. “The drivers sit in the shade nearby, leaving the animals in the sun, usually without water”, they criticised, adding that the horse is an animal which suffers more in the sun than in the cold. In fact, Law 1/92 lays down that anywhere there is an animal there must be at least a covered area. In Palma a few years ago shades were set up, although they were not very good, in the old waiting area, but the Arenal horses seem to have been forgotten by everyone, according to the Platform. “It is a disgrace that it is nearly summer again and these horses have to go through it without a simple shade because of the neglect and insensitivity of our rulers”, criticised the Platform, who are also asking for the horses' working day to be shortened and that they always have water during their rest periods. In addition to this they are demanding that veterinary checks, which are made by vets specialising in horses, should be carried out at least twice a year and that the carriages should be modernised to make them lighter, like the Austrian ones for example. The Platform said that they have received dozens of letters and emails from tourists and Majorcans complaining about the bad conditions for the horses in Palma. They want less words and more action.