Bruges is a beautiful city, but this is a tourist attraction that I would love to see come to an end 😔
Tourists, please don’t take a ride on the horse carriages 🙏🏼
Horses don’t belong in the busy city traffic, running on the hard cobble stones.
As a vegan and animal rights activist, I advocate for the end of all animal use and abuse, respecting the animals’s right for freedom and not being used as objects for transport.
There’s a big difference in advocating for animal welfare (regulation for how the animals are used) and animal rights (not using animals for entertainment, sports, transport, food, experimentation, fighting against speciesism).
So while the horses might be well taken care of (which is certainly not always the case) I wish to see the end of this practice alltogether.
I absolutely agree with you Trudi. We are frequent visitors to Brugge and it is the only aspect of the beautiful city we are uncomfortable with. (Like you I have been a vegetarian for decades, but since 2005 a vegan).
I am living temporarily in Bruges. I heard loud noises outside and opened the door to find a truck loading a beautiful dead horse onto it, the carriage standing alongside. This practice is barbaric, just to fill the needs of tourists. I am so sad and sickened that this even happened/happens/was allowed to happen. There should be a very vocal group formed calling for the banning of this practice now!
Hi Carol,
I share your sentiments completely. It was horse Bella who died that weekend in the center of Bruges. She was carrying the ‘horse tram’, suddenly collapsed and died on the spot.😓 The media say it was ‘Probably from an aneurysm’.
Probably …
Horses don’t belong in the city. Horses shouldn’t be pulling carriages on cobble stones.
Horses, and other animals should simply NOT be used for the amusement of humans.
We wish the mayor Dirk De fauw would abolish this medieval practice. Like they did in Brussels. 👏🏼
https://www.nieuwsblad.be/cnt/dmf20241125_94136807
So true! Standing and walking on the cobblestones is hard on their legs. There are so many horses and carriages in Seville, too. My family always feels so bad for them when we visit. Not to mention the heat and pollution – It’s really something we need to stop.
Horses do not belong in the city nor should they be used for human entertainment. Carriage rides are barbarous and can cause serious injuries to the horses. I observed a horse last night in stress from working all day. I cannot believe Bruges still allows this practice. It is ridiculous. Find a way to see the beauty of horses – not by carriage rides. This should be banned!