05/05/2026

On May 2, 2026, the State Police of Termoli served the property owners with a preventive seizure order issued by the Larino Public Prosecutor's Office against approximately thirty horses and four oxen used in the Carrese di San Martino in Pensilis on April 30. The animals — provisionally entrusted to their owners — may not be used in any event until the conclusion of the investigation, including the celebrations related to San Leo.

The seizure followed the acquisition of images and footage allegedly documenting episodes of violence, both against the animals and between the opposing competing factions. Investigators are analysing the recordings to determine whether criminal charges for animal abuse may apply. The investigation focuses in particular on the overtaking moment — the phase in which the yellow-and-red team of the Giovanotti overtook the light-blue-and-white Giovani to claim victory — which allegedly involved conduct incompatible with animal protection regulations.

Mayor Giovanni Di Matteo confirmed: "The animals in question are those that were alongside one another at the moment of the overtake. The decision was made because authorities wish to verify that the conditions for animal protection were in place and that no injuries or mistreatment occurred."

Not the first time

IHP has been monitoring and documenting the Carresi races for years. In 2018, the event gained national prominence following the death of an elderly man struck by a horse and oxen during the Carrese di Chieuti, in the province of Foggia. That incident prompted the Prefect of Campobasso to pre-emptively block the Carrese di San Martino in Pensilis that same year, before it even began. The backlash was immediate: the mayor, the parish priest, the Bishop of Termoli-Larino, and several members of parliament all mobilised to defend the "tradition." But the Prefect's decision held — for that year.

On April 30, 2023 — the same date, the same town, the same event — a horse died during the Carrese di San Martino in Pensilis. IHP documented and publicly denounced the incident: "The very circumstances in which the accident occurred are unknown. We find it outrageous that in Italy today animals may still be exploited for folk celebrations and rituals of any kind, and that those responsible face no consequences even when animals lose their lives." That story made no news. It left the festivities untouched. Nothing changed.