Costa News Spain: Horse-drawn Marbella is subject to new rules

The Marbella Council will update its ordinance that regulates horse-drawn carts with an emphasis on animal welfare. 

New regulations will be proposed first in October 2020 and include strict rules for animal welfare. A change in law was not included in the legal documentation that was originally written in 2010. New rules set a 20-year maximum for the validity of licenses to ensure fair competition and recoupment of investment. There will be a new chapter on the welfare of horses and fines for not complying.

The plan is to preserve the historical, cultural and social aspects of horse-drawn carts by requiring that they apply for a veterinary certificate, and register in the General Registry of Livestock Farms. 

Horses will have an age range of 4-18 years with the possibility to extend it up to 23 years. The new rules ban the use of a whipped on animals as well as any physical punishment or practices which threaten the wellbeing and safety of working horse. The new ordinance is expected to be introduced before summer. It will ensure animal safety and welfare when tourists are transported in horse-drawn vehicles.

The council seems to be trying to find a compromise between the owners and operators of horse-drawn carriages, the locals who wish to preserve the cultural element of the rides for tourists, and the campaigners who are fighting to ban the use of horses in the city.