A Horse's Life: A Slave with No Rights

	Orna Banai

By Orna Banai

Ma'ariv, 29 July 2007

Translated from Hebrew

A Cart and a Mare — who can forget this song by Yafa Yarkoni? A long time ago, a cart with a horse or a mare was a pastoral view, romantic and pleasing to the eye, but like many other things in our country, this pastoral view has disappeared. In many cases, the view of a horse harnessed to a cart on our streets causes us to feel a deep shock, as well as great pity for that animal, because unlike some cities in Europe, where well groomed horses are considered a tourist attraction, here a horse is a beaten up, wounded slave.

Often you see a horse harnessed to a cart walking with its last strength in the burning sun or in the pouring rain, while its owner treats it like a truck with unlimited horse power. They are used for trade and for carrying cargo, are loaded with building materials, iron bars and refrigerators, are whipped and pushed to go faster, without any consideration for their abilities or for their needs.

With every day that goes by without treatment of this issue by the authorities, the abuse and the suffering of the horses, mules and donkeys increase. Many of them are thin and bony, living in conditions that are not fit even for animals, and they are paying a heavy price for the indifference and the bureaucracy of the authorities. After all, we have so many larger problems, so who has the time to care about the sufferings of a horse or a donkey?

Only a few days ago, I was part of a wild west style chase after a coachman, who went onto the Ayalon speedway with his horse. Amid the tumultuous traffic, the man whipped his miserable horse that was pulling a cart full of junk, boilers, refrigerators and three people, forcing the horse to run fast.

At the end of that chase, in collaboration with the inspection forces and the police, the man was arrested. The horse was confiscated and could feel relieved.

A horse in Israel is a carrier with no rights. These miserable beasts are often exploited for hard work, sometimes excruciating labor lasting many hours, and they barely survive. Often they are subject to constant and severe cruelty on a daily basis, in front of passers by, and to our shame also in front of puzzled tourists.

A group of French investors who visited Israel could not believe their eyes, when they noticed on one of the streets of Tel Aviv, a cart pulled by a thin, dirty, wounded horse, who was pulling no less than four people and three refrigerators. During their stay in Israel, the group came across more and more horses suffering from appalling physical conditions. The group decided to send the Ministry of Tourism a complaint concerning animal abuse.

The state of Israel is considered to be well advanced in many areas, but when it comes to animals who are loyal to us and give us love, we are a third world country. The Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of Environmental Protection and the local authorities must begin to take action in this area, in order to save those horses that can still be saved.

You too must not stay apathetic! Do not turn away when you see a horse or a donkey harnessed to a loaded cart and subject to abuse. Voice your protest. Horses, like other animals, need love and understanding, like each and every one of us.

Orna Banai is the Chairperson of the Committee for the Protection of Animals in the Tel Aviv-Jaffa Municipality.