Last Saturday, a woman and two horses were injured in accident in the Carlos Haya tunnel on the A-7 in Málaga, caused because the horses were loose in the middle of the road.
According to the Asociación Cyd Santa María in Alhaurin el Grande , operators of the only refuge in Málaga province for abandoned, neglected or abused horses, the economic crisis has resulted in a massive increase in the number of abandoned animals.
The Asociación Cyd Santa María is currently home to around 70 horses whereas in the past, the number would have averaged around 35 animals.
The association reports an increasing number of horses being left out in fields near to roads or railroad tracks, with the result that some of them inevitably end up on the roads or tracks and sometimes with fatal consequences.
The Local Police and Guardia Civil tend to place the abandoned animals with the Asociación Cyd Santa María whenever such an incident occurs and this has led to the association being overwhelmed and running up debts.
Under current legislation, the responsibility for abandoned animals lies with the municipalities who are supposed to pay the maintenance costs for such animals. In reality, according to the association, this rarely happens and the Asociación Cyd Santa María has accumulated debts of €5,000.
All horses are legally required to be registered and chipped, which should make the tracing of the owners of abandoned animals a simple matter, although once again, the reality can be quite different.