My husband and I visited Malta earlier this year. We were impressed by its beauty and all the wonderful places of historical interest. But one thing we found distressing was the conditions that karozzini horses have to endure.
We were approached in Valletta, St Julian’s and Sliema, and asked if we would like to take a ride on one of these horse-drawn carriages. However, when we looked at the conditions of the horses in all three locations we just felt pity for them, and no way would we have considered taking such rides.
It was extremely hot and these poor creatures were just left standing around in the heat as they had no shelter and they didn’t even have any water points to drink from. It was obvious that certain owners lacked respect for these horses and that they were just working machines to them.
We declined, and indeed we saw other tourists decline too. We even spoke to some other tourists and they were as appalled as we were.
It’s so distressing to see animals being treated so cruelly. We sincerely hope that laws to protect these horses will start being enforced.
We know there is a lot of ignorance about the welfare of animals in the world. However, there is also a lot of good being done in the name of humanity towards animals and this is something that greatly impresses people when visiting countries on holiday. Many people are animal lovers and it means a lot to see animals being looked after properly. In fact, we also witnessed some caring owners.
No-one is disputing the work these people do, but these horses have a right to be treated properly, which certainly is not the case for all of the poor cab horses in Malta.
We have heard from a friend of ours who also visited Malta this year that she and her husband were also greatly distressed by the way the cab horses were treated.
She is regularly in touch with the Animal Rights Group in Malta regarding this problem and is happy to know that many people in Malta are working hard to secure better conditions for these animals.
However, she has been informed that this year only one shelter, which can only accommodate 10 horses, has been built, which leaves the majority of these animals without protection from the elements and without water facilities.
This really is disgusting and as an act of compassion for these horses, my husband and I certainly won’t be visiting Malta again until we hear that these creatures are being treated properly both by the authorities and their owners.
Fortunately there are people who care about the welfare of these animals and I really hope that before long we will hear the good news of improvements to their welfare. Then we would have no hesitation in returning to your beautiful island.