ITA

On 14 June, in Piazza Signoria in Florence, a horse used to pull a tourist carriage of a ‘fiaccheraio’ (horse carriage driver) hit two parked cars, including that of the Minister of the Interior.

An accident that the press described as an accident due to the ‘fury of a bolting horse’ once again makes headlines of how these animals are used’. 

These carriages are a form of exploitation which is unacceptable in 2021: the tradition of carrying tourists through the streets of Florence forces the horses into hard labour, in a totally inadequate, unhealthy and dangerous urban environment.

The accident in Piazza Signoria shows how dangerous the presumption, unfortunately still widespread, of exploiting animals for human activities can be, without knowing and respecting their nature and needs.

Horses do not bolt, they just react to negative stimuli or fear in the way that is most natural to them: escape.

When not ‘working’, these animals are forced to live in stables with insufficient space to respect their primary ethological needs, such as moving freely in large spaces, grazing and being in a herd with their peers.

In this petition we ask the City Council - as a civilised and mature society - to place the protection of animals at the forefront of public awareness, for a shift away from these practices and ban on this bizarre method of carrying tourists around the city centre in horse-drawn carriages.

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Watch the video - Florence 14 June 2021