Helpless on the ground – Fiacre horse fell: Clip shows dramatic scenes

The clip was published on Thursday by the Verein gegen Tierfabriken (VGT). You see the horse lying on the ground, which can no longer stand on its own two feet after a fall. Even the coachman could not help the animal at first, surrounded by numerous spectators in Rotenturmstraße, the horse kicked his feet in panic.

A second Fiaker rider later comes by to help his colleague and the horse. Finally, the animal manages to get up again. “It is not known whether the horse had to continue to work after this shock or start the journey home,” explains the VGT via broadcast.

“‘Slip’ sounds harmless”
The animal has slipped, according to the Fiaker company. VGT Fiaker campaigner Georg Prinz is not happy with this explanation: “The expression ‘slipping’ sounds harmless. The video now available shows the incident in all its tragedy. A horse lying helpless on the ground, an overwhelmed Fiaker driver,” says Prinz. He thinks it is a good thing that witnesses are making videos of such events, as “the public can become aware of the whole dimension of danger to which horses are exposed during carriage operations in a large city”.

It is far from the only incident of this nature that drives animal rights activists to the barricades again and again. Such accidents often happen because horses slip through the herd on the slippery asphalt. The heat in the summer, which the animals suffer because they are sometimes unprotected in the blazing sun, causes the waves to rise.

Call to the city council
In any case, Prinz is convinced: “The city is not a suitable place for horses.”