Civil engineer offers to give shelter and care to Malaga's carriage horses to prevent their slaughter

Tania Pamies adores horses. Although she is a doctor of civil engineering by occupation, she has a private equestrian centre, where she gives these animals love and care. This is what has prompted her to suggest that the horses that were used for horse-drawn carriages in Malaga until the recent ban on this activity be transferred to Madrid.

After reading that Malaga city council has revoked the 25 remaining licences for horse-drawn carriages and that there is the possibility of the animals being slaughtered due to limited alternatives, Tania contacted SUR to offer her facilities. "They can give them to me and I will give them the good life they deserve," she said. "I'll pick them up if necessary, but I don't want them to end up in the slaughterhouse."

Tania lives in Valdemorillo, which is also where her equestrian centre is located. There, she has stalls, paddocks and a riding arena. Currently, she only rides the mare she has and only takes care of the older horse. Tania said that she has "a weakness" for these animals.

She assured SUR that the horses from Malaga will not be used commercially. Her idea is to give them a good life. Having seen many people who kill their animals once they stop making a profit from them, she wants to prevent the owners from disposing of the horses.

She said that the horses "are wonderful beings" and that "they deserve a place to rest and spend the time they have left" after such a hard life. Tania believes that the least their owners could do is thank them and look for an ethical solution.

In response to the measure approved in Malaga, Tania believes that it is a good step forward but one that has been taken without proper thought about what would happen to the horses. "If you look at their legs, they are swollen because they have arthrosis from all the work they have done, it's time for them to have a good life," she says.

Many people have said that it would be best to leave the horses to roam free. Tania, however, said that this is not possible, because the animals that have been in charge of drawing carriages are very domesticated and they cannot provide food for themselves in the wilderness. In addition, she described them as "delicate" animals.

The horse owners who are interested in her offer can contact her through her Instagram profile: 'lasencinasdejimena'.

Tania's offer came just two days after Malaga mayor Francisco de la Torre had announced the end of horse-drawn carriages as a tourist activity in the city. The city council has already financially compensated the former licence holders, but many of them have said that they don't see the maintenance of their horses as viable.

In response to criticism from the horse owners in Malaga, the mayor said that the measure is supported by many locals and foreigners and that there are much better alternatives to slaughter when it comes to the horses' future.

Residents of Malaga's historical centre have expressed their satisfaction with the measure. However, they have used the opportunity to remind the city council that they have other major complaints linked to the area where they live: "excessive noise, lack of safety and issues related to the concentration of nightclubs".

They have encouraged the city council to continue respecting their needs and have reminded local authorities of the urban plan from 1997, which establishes that nightclubs should be located in non-residential areas.