Animal rights activists changed their minds and decided not to file a legal complaint against the owner of a horse that collapsed from exhaustion after participating in Monday’s Virign de Zapopan religious procession.
Veterinarians, the fire department, police officers and representatives of civic groups all attended the well-publicized incident at the corner of Avenida Vallarta and Argentina.
The two-year-old horse finally got to its feet after receiving attention and water, and was taken to a veterinary clinic for further studies. He was reported to be in stable condition Wednesday.
Guadalajara municipal authorities said the horse was not registered to pull tourist carriages (calandrias) in the city center, although a spokesperson for the Asociacion Justicia y Dignidad Animal said she was unconvinced by this assertion.
The association had initially vowed to file a criminal complaint against the horse’s owner. It later decided against pursuing any action, explaining that “the legal vacuum” would make it difficult to prove animal abuse in this case.
Various animal activist organizations took to social media to repeat their longstanding call to outlaw the horse-drawn carriage rides, a long-standing tradition in the Guadalajara city center. Although horses have pulled the ornate wooden carriages for many decades, animal groups say the practice is cruel and tantamount to abuse.
Tweeting several times as the incident unfolded, Guadalajara Mayor Enrique Alfaro said he was “pleased” Tapatios were concerned about animal welfare, adding that the issue of calandrias should be “debated with an open mind.”
Speaking to Spanish-Language daily La Jornada, third generation Calandria driver Jose Antonio Aceves said the isolated incident has no bearing on how the horses that draw the carriages are treated, given that the equine that collapsed is not normally used for this task. He noted that calandria horses only work every other day and are well cared for.
According Guadalajara city hall, 103 horses are registered to pull 43 calandrias in the city center.