The photograph which this newspaper and our portal published of a horse that had just fallen in a busy thoroughfare generated substantial interest. The author of this leading article had just witnessed the incident. It was, to say the least, horrific.
In this instance, the horse and sulky were being ridden towards the ‘Lowenbrau’ roundabout where Qormi merges with Marsa. For some reason, the animal was startled, and it veered into the central strip. The right wheel clipped the centre-strip and the animal got tangled in the sulky and fell to the ground.
The ensuing chaos was hard to watch. The rider, in some panic, tried to actually pull the horse reins and get the animal to its feet. It was injured and that was never going to happen. In the end, it had to be put down. Such incidents have occurred on many an occasion and when cars are involved, the damage is can be catastrophic. People in cars who have been hit by runaway horses have actually been injured in such accidents. Cars have also been extensively damaged and insurance cover is limited to fully comprehensive policies.
It is, of course, not the horses’ fault when it happens. Horses are skittish animals, and although they are blinkered, they are susceptible to fright and panic. While it is important to focus on the welfare of the animals, we also have to focus on the welfare of people – motorists or pedestrians. We will not get into frivolous arguments insomuch as that sulkies on the road cause traffic jams. That is not the point.
What we must focus on, here, is the danger posed to the animals, third parties, and even the riders. As things stand, sulkies are not regulated. Horse drawn carriages require a licence, and even here, we believe that they should be limited to certain areas and not the general road network. And it should be the same for sulkies. First of all, they should not be allowed out on main roads, and secondly, there should be some form of licence or permit. There is nothing wrong with enthusiasts taking the horses out for a run on country roads. But busy thoroughfares is another matter entirely. Some have argued that this is not fair on the owners, because they have no way of getting the animals to the Marsa track. This argument does not hold water. If one has a horse, then one should buy a horse box which can be towed at the back of a vehicle – much like off road competition vehicles (or racing cars) are.
The Transport Ministry and the Animal Welfare secretariat ought to commission a study to find the best way forward. It is not as simple as many people believe – one simply cannot ban horses from all roads. We also put this argument to animal rights activists – if they were immediately banned, what would happen to the animals? Many of them would be put down, that is what would happen. There is no simple solution. But just like we have seen the regulation of scooters, quadbikes and other forms of transport – this also needs to be addressed, first and foremost, with safety of all in mind.