The council in Palma, having already said that there will be greater controls on the horses that draw the city’s carriages, says that vets’ checks of the horses will now also include blood tests as these can more accurately give an indication of a horse’s health. This is part of the initiative to ensure that the 61 horses that currently pull 28 carriages are in the best of health.
Neus Truyol, the deputy mayor with specific responsibilities for animal welfare, says that these tests will be supervised by officers from Palma’s mounted police force and that they will examine whether horses have any conditions to do with the liver or anaemia.
The municipal vets are, meantime, carrying out three inspections a day, three days a week, at the stops in the Calle Conquistador and by the Cathedral in order to check that horses aren’t working longer hours than they should be. These inspections are being facilitated through the use of chips that can confirm how long they are working.
The town hall is also working on finding an alternative to the stop on the Calle Conquistador, the slope of which can cause stress and risk to the horses.