There are so many ways to get around in Austria’s cities – There is no need to subject horses to this life of misery.

Austrian animal rights organisation VGT joined fifteen other cities around the world and held rallies next to horse-drawn-carriage stands in three federal state capitals; Vienna, Salzburg and Innsbruck as part of an international day to stop the use of horse-drawn-carriages organised by the coalition Horses Without Carriages International: http://www.horseswithoutcarriages.org.

“As soon as tourists realised the conditions that these horses are living and working in they saw this tourist attraction in a different light and were happy to consider one of the many, less problematic forms of transport in the city” commented one of the campaigners.

Residents of the cities were also shocked to hear that horse-drawn-carriage operations routinely fail to meet welfare standards set by the Austrian Animal Protection Act. One of the most urgent problems being that horses are kept harnessed for fourteen hours a day and then many of them are tied in stalls at night. This means that their movement is permanently restricted, and this although the law states that carriage horses must spend time turned out in a paddock on a daily basis.

Of course, with the hottest part of the year approaching, the issue of horses not having shade or enough water in the city is also a major concern. The horror and sadness at the all too frequent media reports of carriage horses having collapsed through heat exhaustion is something that unites all the cities involved in this international day of action.

The rallies in Austria not only concentrated on showing people the hidden side of the horses’ lives but also focused on the many other ways of getting around in the city. Vienna boasts a highly efficient public transport system, an easy to use city bike scheme and a variety of guided tours using various modes of transport such as Segways, rickshaws, buses and, of course, on foot.

The day of action in Vienna included two rickshaw drivers who decorated their rickshaws with positive messages about not abusing horses and took people around the city.

“No normal person wants to see animals suffer, at the same time nobody wants to see people lose their jobs, that’s why VGT has been trying to instigate talks between city authorities, carriage drivers and the motor industry to work on a project to replace carriage horses with vintage cars powered by modern, green technology in an attempt to find a solution which is advantageous to all parties” said a VGT spokesperson.

The peaceful day of action came to an end late in the evening, after the last carriage driver left his stand