I’m not that kind of tourist

Horse-drawn carriages in Seville may look romantic, but what I witnessed during the summer of 2023 hit me right in the gut.

I’m an animal lover – the real kind. The kind that would rather feed stray cats than shop for souvenirs. The kind that designs Etsy travel guides without a single animal activity listed. And yes, I rode a camel in the Sahara back in 2017 – something I would never do again now.

Because let’s be honest: if your holiday fun involves animal suffering, you need better hobbies.

You’ve probably seen them too – those horse-drawn carriages clattering over the cobblestones like some kind of romantic postcard come to life. Sounds charming, until you realize the horse pulling that fantasy is standing for hours in 47°C heat, with no shade, no water, and no escape.

A postcard fantasy in 47 degrees

One afternoon around 5 p.m. – the kind of heat where even the pigeons disappear – I passed a carriage and saw exactly that:

A beautiful horse.
Sweat dripping down its body.
Breathing heavily from the heat.
Slowly baking in the relentless sun.

It had clearly been there for hours. The carriage driver? Sitting comfortably in the shade, of course. So I did what most tourists wouldn’t: I spoke up. In Spanish, I asked him – calmly at first – if he could move the horse into the shade.

His answer?
A flat “no.”
No hesitation. No concern. Just… no.
That was all I needed.

How to lose your cool in three languages

The tourists around us started watching. Phones came out – of course – but no one said a word. That’s the thing: people are brave when they’re in a group, but when it’s just one voice? Silence. Cowards, the lot of them.

I started arguing in Spanish, but let’s be honest: even Spanish swear words sound romantic. So I switched to English. Still nothing. So finally – I let loose in my native language: Dutch. And let me tell you, nothing cuts through 47-degree heat like a string of hard Dutch G’s.

The carriage driver took a step back. Dutch anger is no joke.

It’s within regulations

At that point, I spotted a slow-rolling police car and marched straight to it. I asked the officers if they could kindly inform the man that baking a horse alive is, perhaps, not great. Their response? It’s not so bad.

Right.

I told them, “And regulations can be broken.” As the officers started walking toward the man, something magical happened: the so-called tough guy suddenly moved the horse into the shade. Imagine that.

Málaga made a different choice

Here’s the part that matters: In 2025, Málaga officially abolished horse-drawn carriage rides. The city decided that extreme heat, modern transport alternatives, and animal welfare simply don’t mix anymore.

It can be done.
Change is possible.

Which makes it even harder to justify that other cities – including Seville – still allow horses to work long hours in brutal summer temperatures.

Don’t be that tourist

I’m begging you: don’t get in those carriages. Not in Seville, not anywhere. Every year, horses collapse and die in this city – from exhaustion, dehydration, heat stroke and the owners? They don’t care. I’ve seen it daily with my own eyes. I live in the center. I see how these animals are treated.

And don’t tell me you “didn’t know” in 2026. Come on. You know. If you’re choosing a carriage ride in 2026, you’re not just turning a blind eye – you’re making a choice. A selfish one.
Take a walk. Take the tram. Take your conscience seriously.

And if you ever need to yell at a carriage driver – try Dutch. It really gets the job done.