No more horsing around: Málaga reins in carriage rides

Service for tourists officially ended by city council in order to protect the animals’ welfare

A horse-drawn carriage in Málaga

Málaga officially ended the city’s horse-drawn carriage rides for tourists on Monday, marking the realisation of a long-standing demand from animal rights groups.

Campaigners attending anti-bullfighting protests used to direct chants of “You pull the cart” at carriage owners.

This move was first announced by the Mayor of Málaga, Francisco de la Torre, in January during the State of the City Debate.

“We have taken this step with the welfare and safety of the animals in mind,” he said in a video message posted on social media.

“Málaga has evolved, and there are now many sustainable ways to explore the city—none better than simply enjoying a walk through our streets.”

Animal rights political party PACMA praised the move, commenting: “Málaga has set an example of ethics and respect for animals that Córdoba, Sevilla, Marbella, Mijas, Ronda, Palma de Mallorca and other cities should follow.”

They also demanded that, in the meantime, these services be prohibited when there are alerts for high temperatures, so that the horses can be protected.

There have been numerous incidents of horses collapsing or even dropping dead from heat exhaustion in recent years.

Health and welfare measures published by Sevilla City Council  last year were merely guidelines with no penalties for not following them, while Marbella introduced an animal welfare bylaw this year.

Málaga City Council has now formally revoked the 25 remaining licences it had granted to operate horse-drawn carriages for tourist purposes, on the basis that they were incompatible with the city's development, particularly in terms of safety and hygiene, both for the general public and for the animals themselves.

The decision was made following an agreement with the licence holders, who—as De la Torre explained—“have been compensated for bringing forward the end of this activity, which was initially set for 2035.”

Each licence holder received a compensation payment of €125,380.48, in line with a valuation report prepared by auditors in February this year.

Of the 55 licences that existed in 2018, 30 had already been voluntarily withdrawn and compensated following the decision taken by the local government board that year.

The signposts indicating reserved parking spaces for horse-drawn carriages have now been removed from Cortina del Muelle, Paseo de los Curas and Avenida Cervantes.

The spaces in Paseo de los Curas and Avenida Cervantes have now been re-designated as motorcycle parking bays.

Image: PACMA