The village fiestas for La Herradura, which will be held between the 17th and the 20th of March, will not have the pony carousel amongst the attractions.

The controversial attraction has repeatedly drawn strong criticism and rejection from the townsfolk.

Although the animals do not receive any physical mistreatment, the tedious repetition of walking around in circles, surrounded by the elevated noise of blaring speakers and sirens, amounts to mental anguish.

Consequently, the First Councillor for La Herradura, Juan Jose Ruiz Joya, decided not to issue a licence to the said fairground-attraction owners.

Councillor Ruiz Joya points out that the Ley 11/2003 de Protección de Animales, Article Four, “This activity is incompatible with the welfare of animals owing to their repetitive circular route during many hours.”

It is calculated that the ponies plod around between 2,000 and 3,000 times per day.

Editorial comment: a wise decision; one that should have been taken a long, long time ago, though.

(News: Herradura, Costa Tropical, Granada, Andalucia)