Times are changing all over the world and many of the things that were put down to ‘tradition’ are now also very much under scrutiny. Spain is known for being a loving nation, especially to their families and children, but not so much when it comes to animals.
Many old towns and cities in Spain that are popular tourist attractions still operate horse drawn carriages as a way to explore parts of the towns or cities.
Many people find it cruel that these horses are working in the heat of the Spanish sun pulling tourists around with little rest between tours.
Well one brave lady, Belen Padilla, has decided that enough is enough and has set up a petition on Change.org to try and stop the horse and carriage rides in Marbella.
Within just a few days the petition had over 2,000 signatures and continues to grow.
Belen says that the way the horses are treated is animal cruelty and she is lobbying the council to get involved and update some of these old and outdated traditions.
Of course on the other hand there are the carriage drivers that rely on this tradition for income and without it; they will be left with no income at all. Often these carriages have been passed down through the family so they have no other skills than the job they have been brought up to learn. They also insist that the horses are closely monitored and cared for and that they are not allowed to operate during extreme temperatures.
This will be interesting to see how this evolves but I cannot see this tradition changing anytime soon as it happens all over Spain and will require a massive shift in the law.