The IHP (Italian Horse Protection Association) expresses its solidarity to the Tourist Minister, Michela Vittoria Brambilla for her statements regarding the “palii” (folkloristic, traditional races/tournaments) and some other events held every year in Italy.
We want to press home a fundamental concept: the respect and tutelage of every living being is a more important moral value than the preservation of historic traditions. Without it, tradition becomes just a showcase for incivility.

Italy needs to show the world the progresses, both scientific and cultural, the country is making. Instead, because of some events where animals aren’t respected – if not downright mistreated – the country keeps on risking ruining its image in the eyes of foreign observes and tourists.
We suggest to those persons who rushed in the palii’s defense, to keep in mind this distinction before making rash statements. This continuous, bad use of words like “history” and “tradition” throws a bad light on our Country which, instead, wants to be a protagonist in the civil and moral progress.

We repute Siena Major Maurizio Cenni’s declarations only little more than folkloristic (we think the same of the Siena Palio too), to whom we remind that, in the last years, the Italians have started to get interested in horses in a more authentic way. They are more interested in the animals’ welfare and less keen in exploiting them for commercial reasons. This is even truer abroad, where the Palio is everything but a good way to promote our Country.
Besides, to understand the approach of the people organizing and promoting these events, one just needs to read Cenni’s lines. He continues to describe the treatment received by the Palio’s horses as if he is talking of motorbikes set-ups before a Grand Prix. Or one can remember what happened in occasion of the July 2nd incident, when everyone ignored and said nothing about the terrible fall involving two horses. A propagandist behavior demonstrating tradition and civility, unfortunately, don’t walk hand-in-hand.

As written in precedence about the incidents befallen to horses in the past weeks, the 21st July Ordinance wanted by On. Martini certainly represents a huge step forward compared to the past. At the same time, talking just about technical requirements isn’t enough, since certain events carry inside them the presupposition to cause uneasiness and harm to the horses involved.