A horse race that was set to take place in the searing afternoon heat in Sannat has been rescheduled to a later time, after animal welfare concerns were raised with the local council.
Held annually as part of the Santa Margarita feast celebration in Sannat, the animals were set to race through the village’s principal thoroughfare at 1.30 pm, despite Animal Welfare Commissioner Alison Bezzina raising objection to the time and suggesting they be held after 6.30 pm and ensure easy access to water for the animals.
The decision to hold a horse race in the afternoon heat also drew vociferous criticism on Facebook, with the local council's posts about the event attracting near-unanimous criticism.
Sannat mayor Philip Vella told Times of Malta on Saturday afternoon that after consulting with the authorities, the council had decided to move the start of the race to 4 pm.
“We have discussed the matter with the VRD, Transport Malta and the Police and it has been decided that the race will start at 4 pm,” he said.
Plans to hold future races in the evening
Vella also pledged to hold future races in the evening, as advised by Bezzina.
“We want to take care of the animals and make sure that all animal welfare standards are adhered to. We are also taking all of this into consideration and next year we will make plans to organise the races in the evening," he said.
The mayor added that while the council had heard people’s concerns, he wanted to assure that the horses were still going to be provided adequate shelter and access to water had the race taken place earlier.
“We have set up shelters as well as drinking water and showering stations for the horses,” he continued.
“I understand that people may have had the impression that the horses are going to spend an afternoon out in the sun. But the horse only really runs for a minute. After that, they are taken to the shelter and hosed down, there are people stationed to make sure that it happens.”
“Even the horses’ owners want to make sure that there is a certain standard, after all the more well cared for the horse is, the better chance it has at winning.”
Meteorologists are forecasting a hot and sunny day with a high of 33°C that feels like 36°C and a UV index of 10. Humidity is likely to be above 80 per cent. Horses that overheat run the risk of collapsing, convulsing and dying.
'Public pressure works'
Bezzina thanked the public who supported her recommendations for the race by appealing directly to the council and applying pressure.
“Everything that I recommend can be taken on by authorities or it can be ignored, but this is the perfect example of how public pressure works,” she said.
“I don’t have the authority to implement my own recommendation, but pressure from the public can spur authorities to take it on.”
On the changes to the race time, Bezzina said that while 6 pm would have been preferable, having the race start at 4 pm was far better than 1.30 pm.