Guadalajara city hall has announced major changes in the operation of touristic horse-drawn carriages (calandrias) after an equine collapsed during a ride on Avenida Chapultepec at the end of last week.
In the wake of the fainting incident, municipal authorities took the unparalleled step of suspending all calandria activity in the city.
Photographs of the horse lying on its side in the Zona Rosa district of Guadalajara circulated widely on social media, with many animal rights groups posting demands for the “cruel practice” to be banned.
Guadalajara city hall animal welfare director Merilyn Gómez Pozos said an inspection of the horse – fortunately it soon recovered – revealed that its horseshoes were in poor condition. As punishment, the calandria will be taken out of service for four months and the horse will be released from its labors.
All but seven of the 112 horses that pull carriages in the downtown area were back at work this week after city hall lifted the suspension order following mandated inspections of all the animals. Veterinarians carried out detailed examinations of the horses, most of whom are between eight and 11 years of age. Five horses were deemed unfit to work because of bone conditions, while two were deemed too old.
Authorities also notified the 86 unionized carriage owners and drivers about upcoming modifications to the operating model.
The changes include obliging owners to use motorized horse trailers to transport the animals from their stables to the city center each day.
In addition, the fleet of calandrias is to be replaced with lighter models weighing between 350 and 400 kilograms, rather than 500 and 600 at present. The new calandrias will come at an estimated cost of 100,000 pesos each. One idea suggested is that the municipality purchase the carriages and lease them out to the drivers.
Guadalajara city council will vote on the new proposals this week.
A few calandria owners without access to motorized trailers complained that they would be unable to continue working under the new regulations. They also said dozens of trailers unloading horses at the same time in the city center would create huge traffic problems,
Gómez Pozos said no exceptions to the new rule would be made.
The new operating model will also include the establishment of specific routes, embarking stations, working hours and designated places for the horses to rest.
Current regulations determine that horses can only work shifts of seven hours and must have rests of at least 20 minutes for every two hours of labor. In addition, they must be given 24 hours of rest after each work day.
The most popular locations to take calandria rides in the city center are in front of the Parque de San Francisco, Mercado San Juan de Dios and Museo Regional. The cost is usually around 300 pesos for an hour’s ride.