Traditional equestrian events in Italy: results of the official veterinary controls carried out during the period 2017-2023

Abstract

Traditional equestrian events, such as races, jousting and tournaments, where equids (donkeys and horses) are used outside authorised hippodromes, are still widespread in Italy and represent important religious and historical events. However, in the last years, public debate on animal welfare and public safety in these events has increased due to the high risks of injuries both for animals and humans. For these reasons the Italian Ministry of Health issued a specific ordinance for the protection of equids, riders and spectators during these events. According to the ordinance, official veterinarians must participate in all phases of the event and complete a technical report with information concerning the type of the event, the characteristics of the environment, the characteristics of the animals and any fatal or non-fatal incidents involving the animals. The present study reported for the first time information regarding these Italian traditional equestrian events, with a focus on issues related to animal health and welfare (i.e., injuries and death cases). The number of equestrian events reported by the official veterinarians during the study period (September 2017-December 2023) was 572. The predominant event type were races (n=291) followed by jousting events (n=182), tournaments (n=37) and pariglia (n=28). A total of 10,055 equids (horses and donkeys) participated to these traditional events. Concerning injuries, lethal outcomes, or other problematic situations, 47 cases were reported during the reference period, corresponding to 0.5% of all equids (n=10,055) that participated during the traditional events. Forty-six cases involved horses and only one case concerned donkeys. Six cases, all involving horses, resulted in death or euthanasia (6/47; 12.8%), which corresponded to 0.07% of the horses that competed from September 2017 to December 2023. The frequency of incidents by event type was quite similar among races, quintains, pariglia, and tournaments. The ground type that resulted in the most incidents was quarry material (28.6%), followed by pozzolana (13.3%) and tuff (10%). Concerning track length most of the injuries occurred on tracks ranging from 501 to 1000m and on tracks overs 1000m. Although the number of incidents reported during the study period is below 1%, these findings could help risks managers and policymakers to take informed decisions aimed to protect equid welfare during these types of events.