The Malta Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (MSPCA) is the latest entity aiming to eradicate the Maltese tradition of the karozzini by proposing that horse-drawn carriage drivers be given a golden handshake to relinquish their licence. This came as a surprise to me since just four years ago organisations like the Malta Horse Sanctuary, Horse Rescue and Rehome a Horse Malta spoke in no unclear terms in favour of retaining the custom, which dates back to the mid-19th century and was popular among British servicemen and locals, though today functions more like a touristic reminder of days gone by.

Valid reasons and arguments were mentioned at the time, such as that banning them will simply result in a large number of unwanted horses, the false idea that banning carriages would automatically mean horses are left to live a happy life grazing and that the last thing owners want is for something to happen to their horse. With the same line of reasoning being again advanced to remove the pleasant scene of the karozzini gracing our idyllic roads in Valletta, Mdina and Rabat, Gozo could just as well apply to calls for banning the very popular and traditional weekend horse races at Marsa and various other cities around the world.

While the horse-racing industry markets itself as a glamour sport, there can be no doubt that horses do suffer and there are a number of animal welfare concerns with horse-racing. Racing exposes horses to a significant risk of injury and sometimes, catastrophic injury and death through trauma (for example, a broken neck) or emergency euthanasia. Racing involves striking the horse with a whip, which inflicts pain and can result in injury, to enhance performance. “Wastage” is the term used for the culling of uncompetitive animals and includes both the breeding of thoroughbred horses that never make it to the racetrack and horses leaving the racetrack at the end of their career.

In stark contrast to the fraternal love and treatment which cabbie owners hold for their horses, racehorses tend to be housed in cold isolation and close confinement. But, in all honesty, would one really insist on such races being banned and are there really so many reasons that would justify or warrant their prohibition?  Even fewer reasons, then, if at all, are there for calling for the abolition of the karozzin tradition. One must be careful to sift the truth from a host of myths, misconceptions and outright lies about carriage horses.

It must be recalled that since then Malta has made a number of legislative enactments for improving the horses’ welfare by providing adequate shelters, imposing strict time limits for their use, having regular checks on the horses’ upkeep and limiting the number of people on a carriage ride. Other than carriages being considered a Maltese tradition, it is the bread and butter for these drivers and we are only talking of a small number of them. If they were to be deprived of their only source of income, since the majority of them can hardly boast of any worthwhile education, they and their dependents would undoubtedly suffer unnecessary hardship. Carriage drivers and owners love and care for their horses.

Let us face it: these guys are definitely no poet-laureates and watching them press-gang tourists into “having a ride with the cabbie” or a “tour round the harbour” or whatever comes out of the cabbies’ mouths with their limited guiding capabilities is pleasant and funny at the same time. Love them or hate them, it is one particular Maltese characteristic. Could this be why tourists jump into a karozzin in Malta, perhaps even get fleeced and then return home to flood Flickr and other social media outlets with their pictures?

Vienna has its Fiakr, which are open horse-drawn carriages similar to our karozzini. Cities like London, Beijing and Toronto have a substantial number of horse-drawn carriages making the rounds in the streets. In fact, the latest advances in Europe, notably France, in “green” urban living incorporate horses into municipal services such as collecting recycling and watering civic plantings. The urban horse is making a comeback in societies that are making efforts to reconnect with the earth and live environmentally consciously.

We owe it to the horses to honour their partnership with us in building our civilization, not by banishing horses to some unknown fate “out there”, but by celebrating the honest labour of mankind’s most important animal companion. For hundreds of years, horses and humans have enjoyed each other’s company and worked together as partners. Horses are outdoor animals that Mother Nature has equipped with an incredible ability to adapt to all manner of weather conditions, growing thick winter coats in the winter and sweating to cool themselves in the summer.

For many of us, the closest we will ever experience a living, breathing horse is seeing a karozzin horse and its owner-driver plying their trade through our winding paths and alleys. Perhaps little do we know that carriage horses have highly complex relationships with both their drivers and their fellow carriage horses. They socialise with their friends while at work through body posturing and vocalising.  A happy, well-cared-for carriage horse is a beautiful horse. If you want to help horses, just take a carriage ride! Your fare would support not only the karozzin owner/driver and his family but also the care and well-being of the carriage horses.

With full acknowledgement to The Greenfields, I would dread that day when I would no longer be able to softly hum the catching tune of their folk music hit while enjoying a light stroll along the narrow roads of Valletta or Mdina and watching our spectacular, postcard type horse-driven karozzini carrying a small tourist family or a romantic couple or just a simple lone Eastern tourist seeking new adventures and experiences. So, yes please, ċeklem, ċeklem karozzin!

Dr Mark Said is an advocate