Police in Spain clamp down on horse hobbling

GUARDIA Civil officers are clamping down on the mistreatment of horses in Spain and horse hobbling in particular.

Horse hobbling is the practice of tethering one of more legs to allow a horse to graze and move short and slow distances, yet prevent the horse from running off too far.

But frequently the tethers can tighten around the limb and cause injury.

Legislation outlawing the practice in Spain was introduced in 2015 with fines of up to €10,000 for first-time offenders.

Repeat offenders face a life-time ban from keeping horses.

The Guardia Civil’s environmental branch, Seprona, is now appealing for the public to contact them by calling 062 if they see cases of horses being mistreated.

They say, “To mistreat the animals is a bad and cowardly act. The old traditions must be stopped.”

Maltratar a los animales es un acto ruin y cobarde. Las tradiciones salvajes hay que desterrarlas

Si presencias hechos así denuncia ☎️062 pic.twitter.com/zihqRFQgxw

— Guardia Civil (@guardiacivil) October 24, 2017