Italian Horse Protection ONLUS |

IHP launches an international petition to ban the use of equines in the palii

15/10/2011

(15th October 2011)

As already announced among the initiatives to stop the exploitment of animals in the ‘palii’ (see our 28th August press release) Italian Horse Protection association takes action and launches an international petition addressed to Italy’s Prime Minister, Health Minister, Tourism Minister and to the Undersecretary to the Health Ministry.

As it is well known, the animals used in the palii (traditional races) are almost always equines.
The use of horses and, in lesser degree, of donkeys, is justified by the organizers with the “safeguard of the tradition and culture”, adding that the animals involved are loved and respected.
In reality, the animals are used out of spectacular and economical reasons. It’s demonstrated by the huge amounts of money moved by “palio di Siena” and other well-known palii. It’s demonstrated by the fact the same horses are used for various palii and that the jockeys are considered “professionals” of these competitions. The numerous horses died during incidents, put down because of grave injuries or simply vanished, demonstrate the love for animals is just a façade.

Horses are regularly obliged to run over unsuitable courses, created by using normal town streets covered with sand or tuff (but there are also events, such as in Ronciglione, were horses are raced over the asphalt - see video here). As demonstrated by the most famous palio – the Siena one – where at least 49 horses died in the last years (according to the official sources, but there are numerous horses injured during the race or its trials about whom nothing is known), the horses are obliged to run in conditions that are a guarantee of incidents.

In Italy these events are excluded from the range of application of the law 189/2004 against animal mistreatment.
Since 2009 there is a Ministerial Ordinance (meaning a temporary measure decided by the Health Ministry, with a far more limited range of application compared to a law) that imposes to the organizers to set up a few measures for the safety of animals and spectators: the ground must be covered with a material suitable to soften the hooves’ impact, the course must be delimited by adequate protective barriers, there must be an equine veterinary on location, a mean of horse transportation must be at hand, and there must be some kind of anti-doping measures. However, in these two years, these measures haven’t been sufficient to prevent the death of many horses.
As proof of how the Ordinance is a weak, easily bypassed tool, Tuscany has recently approved a regional law that allows donkey races to be run on bare asphalt. This happened because of the organizers’ pressures; they found too expensive to cover the courses with suitable materials.

IHP’s final aim is to ban the use of animals in the palii, by focusing on the cultural aspect: the palii would be beautiful events, weren’t they marred by the exploitation of animals, and especially of horses.
In Italy the protesting voices of indignant citizens and tourists are ignored by our Institutions. This is why we want to attract the public attention of other countries, to make our politicians understand that exploiting animals and sending them to die is not a safeguard of our traditions, but only a cultural backwardness that damages our country’s image.

The petition is on-line at www.nopalio.it, where it is possible to sign it. The collection of signature will end on April 2012 and we are thinking about organizing a demonstration for that period.

Several foreign associations have already joined us, and will support our initiative by spreading it among their members.

Other associations that take at heart the equines’ welfare and want to side with us in this battle can send an email here: ihp@horseprotection.it

List of the associations that have already adhered to the campaign (list updated at March 12th, 2012):