Banning horses from the road could cause them mental and physical harm, an equine vet at the helm of an animal rights group has warned.
Katiucha Gatt Galea, co-founder of Għaqda Żwiemel u Kultura (Horse and Culture Group), said exercising along roads was an essential part of a horse’s health regime.
A recent series of traffic accidents involving horses has thrust the issue of regulating the hobby into the national spotlight, with many calling for the animals’ outright ban from all roads.
Ms Gatt Galea, however, insists a varied exercise environment is essential for the animals’ well-being.
“From a veterinary point of view, exercise is of crucial importance to a horse’s mental and physical health. Riding out and away from the usual training arena varies the workload and keeps horses mentally fresh,” she said. The lack of a varied exercise routine could result in a number of mental and physical complications, including severe stress-induced syndromes.
Her views, however, contrast sharply with those of a Facebook group of nearly 12,000 Maltese.
The administrator of the group – No Horses on Maltese Roads – told Times of Malta that “under no circumstance” should horses be allowed on the streets.
The Animal Welfare Council has drafted a policy to ban horses from arterial routes and allocate a network of side and country roads for horse training. The Facebook group believes this would not be enough.
“Our position is clear. We do not agree with having horses on any roads. They should be in the countryside. We do not even agree with allowing them on the road at certain times,” said the administrator, who preferred not to be named.
Ms Gatt Galea warned of the dangers of limiting the areas in which horses can exercise.“When a horse is boxed out of necessity, like after surgery for instance, it is at risk of developing intestinal problems that could lead to death in just a few hours.
“The mighty horse is ironically one of the most sensitive creatures on earth. Not exercising properly can have a very negative impact,” she said.
There have been at least 10 horse-related traffic accidents this year as a result of sulkies being used on busy roads.
In the latest incident, five days ago, a young horse broke free of its sulky, smashing the windscreen and bonnet of a BMW saloon before speeding down the heavily congested Fleur-De-Lys Road in Birkirkara.
Ms Gatt Galea raised doubts over the cause of such accidents. She pointed out that while the number of horses on the island was on the decrease, there was a notable increase in the number of cars.
The Għaqda Żwiemel u Kultura will be publishing a series of informational videos on how to drive in the vicinity of horses.
Ms Gatt Galea pointed out that education was imperative if horses were to find any safe areas to exercise.
“The problem is that to go to rural areas, horses often need to use busy roads, and once the ‘safe place’ is reached, they often encounter speeding cars taking short cuts,” she said.