Prague bans horse-drawn carriages to protect the animals

The Czech capital will prohibit the cruel tourist attraction from 1 January 2023

Riding a horse-drawn carriage in a beautiful city is often perceived as a romantic and exciting experience. While this may be true in the eyes of some people, it is most certainly not so for the horses that make this experience possible. For this reason, Prague’s City Council has announced that it will ban horse-drawn carriages in Old Town Square and Stromovka from 1 January 2023.

An unnecessary and cruel tourist attraction

Not surprisingly, horse-drawn carriages are predominantly used by Prague’s tourists rather than its residents. Therefore, they are a ‘romantic’ tourist attraction that connects the capital’s past and present.

Nevertheless, they are also unnecessary in the 21st century. Commenting on this, Prague’s Councillor for Housing and Transparency Adam Zábranský revealed that the city supports the campaign, “A horse is not a machine”. With this campaign, animal rights activists seek to show people that the tourist attraction is cruel and abusive.

By nature, horses are sensitive to loud noises and run away when they feel at risk. Thus, it is not difficult to understand why a busy capital city can be a stressful and dangerous environment for them. Taking this further, if a horse jumps or runs away when it hears a loud sound, it can hurt or even kill the people in the area.

In addition to the loud noises, exhaust fumes also pose a threat to the animals’ health; that is, they cause significant damage to the horses’ lungs and respiratory systems. Finally, it is crucial to note that while people shield themselves from the scorching heat in the summer, the horses are forced to work. Similarly, they must continue to entertain tourists during the freezing winters.

Knowing these facts, it is cruel to continue promoting horse-drawn carriages as a tourist attraction. Supporting this claim, Zábranský shared that the carriages do not belong in today’s modern cities. Now, with this new ban, Prague joins other metropolitans such as Paris, London, Oxford, Barcelona, Montreal, Rome, Chicago, Salt Lake City, Las Vegas, and Palm Beach.