Walking on our first evening in Cartagena from Getsemani, where our hostel is, towards the Centro district I enjoyed admiring all the colonial architecture which had obviously been maintained with great care over the years. The streets were filled with people out to enjoy an evening of entertainment and good food. There was a contagiously energetic atmosphere surrounding us as we went in search of a good restaurant.
I heard, very soon into the Centro district, a set of hooves making their way down the street, and being a great admirer of horses I eagerly looked towards him. I was shocked and saddened to see the physical state of this horse, and even more so to see his emotional state. His ribs were very prominent and the hip bones on his rump were extremely acute. His coat was dull and had many sores where his tack had been consistently rubbing. His neck was thin and he held his head low. The bridle on his head was ill-fitting and one of the straps down his cheek was rubbing into the corner of his eye. His shoes sounded ill-fitting as well as they struck the road with a misaligned clank. He struggled maintaining a pace, either a walk or a trot, due to his lack of strength and energy.
But the saddest sight was his eyes and his ears. A well cared for horse will have alert and inquisitive eyes with ears flicking forwards and backwards as he watches with interest the goings-on surrounding him while also concentrating on what his driver is asking of him. This horse had no life in his eyes. They were dull and defeated. And his ears remained at an angle to his head, never flickering with interest or attention.
It was a miserable sight made even worse by the jolly holiday-makers laughing away in the carriage behind the dejected horse. Did they realise the suffering their enjoyment was inflicting on this innocent horse? I hope not. But I saw many horses in similar decrepit states with equally happy passengers, passengers who had either enjoyed a good meal before the ride or who were eagerly looking forward to tucking into a tasty and nutritious dinner afterwards. I wonder when these horses, providing all this fun and entertainment for their passengers, had last enjoyed such a meal? I didn’t get the impression that the passengers cared, as long as they got their meal for the evening.
The restaurant we chose to eat in that evening was on the Plaza Santa Domingo, with a balcony overlooking the Plaza. Unfortunately I could see and hear the many poor horses pulling their heavy carriages throughout our entire meal, a meal I felt guilty to enjoy while these horses suffered.
One horse I saw nearly fell forward when his front hooves lost grip on the slippery road because his load was so heavy. This malnourished and very tired horse was being asked to pull six people in the carriage, seven including the driver. The horse managed to get the carriage moving, only to immediately stop again in the traffic jam. He dropped his head and struggled to catch his breath. His sides were heaving and his head was nodding in time with his desperate breathing. As the horse stood there with his nose directly behind the next carriage the bored driver continued to flick the horse’s flank with his whip, constantly stressing the horse during his struggle to catch a breath.
Most of the horses working that evening were in such a condition. However, I was pleased and relieved to see that a few horses did have, maybe not glossy but at least, good coats with ribs barely showing. Most importantly some held their heads high, with bright eyes and alert ears. I only wished that holiday-makers would choose only these horses and explain to the drivers why they would not choose the carriage being pulled by the walking (or trotting) dead.
I was shocked when I saw that the on-line Frommer’s guide to Colombia recommended tourists to inflict such suffering on these horses in order for some romantic entertainment in Cartagena. The touristic newspaper, Donde, which I picked up at the airport arriving into Cartagena commented on the importance and the majestic nature of these horse-pulled carriages for newlyweds.
I also think taking a horse-pulled carriage is romantic and can be a wonderful experience having such a magnificent and noble creature lead you through the city. This experience shouldn’t disappear, but the treatment and care given to the horses should certainly be improved. I believe the best way for this change to take place is for those looking to enjoy a ride in a carriage to be aware of the state of the horse pulling their carriage. There couldn’t be a stronger signal to the owners of the malnourished horses if no one were to choose their carriage due to the lack of care their horse had access to.
Richard Emblin, director of the city paper of Bogotá, writes in his article The law of the jungle (August 2009) how “shameful” the killing of the African hippopotamus Pepe was after he escaped his deceased drug lord owner’s ranch. He also comments on how the “savage tradition” of bull fighting should be abolished throughout Colombia. I think also attention should be turned to those animals suffering to provide touristic entertainment, these horses in Cartagena. Maybe then the energetic atmosphere in the city in the evenings wouldn’t be so dampened by the sight of these energy-less working horses.
If we, as tourists and holiday-makers, want to enjoy our short stay in Cartagena let’s allow the horses working here to enjoy, a little more, their entire life.