Animal welfare is under more scrutiny than ever: activists protest daily and social media are filled with campaigns against animals’ exploitations. Yet, many travellers still fall into tourist traps marketed as ethical, while the reality is the opposite. Zoos, camel tours and elephant petting are just a few examples. Are Vienna’s horse-drawn carriages – fiakers – another form of cruelty masked as tradition?
Used as main means of transport since the 17th century, fiakers became a part of Vienna’s identity after World War I, when they began to be hired for city tours and weddings. Even today, the sound of hooves clopping on cement take over traffic noise in the city centre. Elegant horses pass by, kindly guiding tourists through the most beautiful historical sites. Between tours, they rest in front of the iconic Baroque palace of the Spanish Riding School, giving Vienna a unique charm.
”Unique” is not an exaggeration: carriages are disappearing from many major cities. The reason? Behind the charm lies controversy.
Fiakers at Michaelerplatz, Vienna - Camilla Rusmini.
Activism versus tourism
Following media attention on numerous carriage-related accidents in Europe and USA, many resulted in horse deaths, activist groups began protesting to ban this practice. In 2018 Barcelona was the first European city to officially to impose a total ban. Since then, many cities such as Paris, London, Oxford, Rome, Bruxelles, Malaga, + Montreal, and Chicago have either banned or restricted horse-drawn carriages on their territory.
PETA, the world’s largest animal rights organization, have gathered the number of registered accidents by media over the years. Just in the last 10 years, across Switzerland, Germany and Austria, 47 horses died and 166 were seriously injured, as shown in the graph below. These figures likely underrepresent the true scale, as they reflect only mediatic cases.
Source: PETA Germany.
Vienna has held onto its traditions, and only implemented stricter regulations in 2016, under the Vienna Fiaker Act. Since then, horses can work no more than 18 days per month, not in temperatures above 35°C, and for a maximum of 11 hours daily, between 11 a.m. and 10 p.m.
According to activists these measures are insufficient. Organizations such as FOUR PAWS Austria, Tierschutz Austria, VGT, and the Österreichischer Tierschutzverein have launched campaigns and petitions — some gathering up to 80,000 signatures — demanding a complete ban in the city centre or stricter rules.
Despite growing criticism, the number of carriages (130) and horses (310) has remained stable since the 1980. The Chamber of Commerce reports that while the number of companies fell from 29 in 2015 to 22 today, the number of carriages operating daily remains the same (60), because there are more licenses than parking spaces available.
Tourism in Vienna reached its highest record in 2024 and is expected to grow even more in 2025, translating into higher demand for touristic attractions, as fiakers. Marco Pollandt, manager of the famous Fiaker Paul stable, says demand is back to pre-COVID levels, or even higher.
Fiaker perspective
A visit to Fiaker Paul and interview with Marco offers insights into this industry perception of welfare. At 8 a.m. the stable is quiet. A couple of horses are playing in a small paddock, some are eating hay while others are being groomed and harnessed before their day begins.
Fiaker Paul, Vienna - Camilla Rusmini.
”We follow strict rules, veterinarians come here regularly and everything is documented,” says Marco “People see a horse pulling a carriage and assume cruelty, without understanding the level of care we provide”.
According to him, although horses’ working conditions are unnatural, they do not suffer, as they are highly adaptable animals. ”I know 11 hours is a very long day, but mostly for the driver! Naturally, horses travel over 150 km daily”. Then he suggests that horses can adjust to feeding routines that differ from natural eating behavior, which typically involves grazing 14-18 hours a day with breaks no longer than four hours. ”They know they’ll be in the stable overnight and won’t be able to eat hay during the day, so they eat more hay during off time. While working we offer small treats like apples, carrots, oats, and pellets. As well as water of course.” he explains. A 2008 study on Viennese fiaker horses is also cited, which found no signs of heat-related stress in working horses during summer.
Scientific perspective
Key issues are carefully avoided during the conversation: many of the claims lack scientific consensus. While it’s true that horses can adapt to various feeding routines, no evidence support that fasting from forage for 11 hours is safe. In fact, this practice is widely known to increase the risk of digestive issues and stress to horses.
According to the fifth rule of modern feeding reported in Zoe Davies’ Horse Nutrition book (2009) “do not leave horses without forage for more than 4 hours”. This guideline is usually found on all recognized textbooks on equine nutrition.
Moreover, no research available online show the effects of 11 hours of carrots and apples on horses’ health. Likewise, no studies demonstrate whether pulling carriages on concrete for 11 hours – with a metallic bit in the mouth for the entire shift – is harmless to their physical or mental health.
Working hours and bits of Fiaker horses - Camilla Rusmini.
A 11-hour day harnessed to a carriage in Vienna’s city center simply cannot be done in a horse-friendly manner. Horses are not made for long distances on hard surfaces, neither standing for hours on cobblestones or riding on asphalt. This can damage their joints. And there are problems with pressure points from the harness.
Says the equine expert Brigid Weinzinger, with a postgraduate degree in animal behaviour, when releasing an interview with VGT . Regarding the 2008 scientific research that found no heat physiological stress, Brigid replies ”By cortisol levels, it was noticeable that the horses had a high baseline level of stress, some even at truly worrying levels”.
”Am I supporting horse suffering by booking a Fiaker tour?”
It is time to make informed and aware decisions, especially in summer, with the hottest temperatures and increasing tourism.
We justify zoo visits by believing they protect endangered species. How many of us actually verify that? We travel to Egypt and Morocco, aware of the realities behind camel tours, it’s everywhere on social media. However, too many of us can’t resist this iconic experience, reassured by websites claiming welfare-friendly practices. Often,m we often justify our actions behind labels and claims we don’t fully understand.
Until no comprehensive scientific research is available, we cannot know to what extent fiaker horses are suffering or not.
The real question is whether we’re comfortable not knowing the answer before taking the ride.
