Study Shows: Heat Does Not Disturb Vienna's Carriage Horses

As part of the heat study, 58 Viennese carriage horses were examined. A "typically associated with heat stress reduced general behavior" was not observed. Instead, "the general behavior in all 764 surveys was without abnormalities," as the team led by study director Theresia Licka noted.

Measurements on carriage horses over a year

For the "non-invasive study," according to Licka, fecal samples were taken from January to December 2024, and measurements of pulse and respiratory rate were conducted. The regularly measured body temperature of the animals and that of the stable floor were also included in the investigation. The research work was carried out by the university as part of its research and teaching activities without an external commission and was financed from its own funds, Licka told the APA. "We wanted to determine whether other threshold values should be introduced," said the equine surgeon. "This does not result from our study now."

In parallel, the federal government and the city of Vienna have also commissioned their own study on the heat stress of carriage horses at the Vetmed. This has only recently started, as ORF Vienna reported on Tuesday.

Expert: "Horses have good heat tolerance"

However, a clear trend is already evident from the results of last year's study. "It shows that the horses have very good heat tolerance," explained sports physician Licka from the University Clinic for Horses at the Vetmed. It also showed that "the stress hormones are not significantly higher the day after being in the city."

The results are "important as an indication of effective physiological cooling of the body, and thus a good adaptation to the heat," according to the brief report by the authors. Indications of overstrain and heat stress "did not occur in the present study." The collected data will now be further analyzed in detail - "for example, with regard to which horses moved best through the year."

Viennese Carriage Drivers Hope for an End to "Baseless Accusations"

According to the taxi guild responsible for the carriage drivers in the Chamber of Commerce, each horse is allowed to work a maximum of 18 days per month. From 35 degrees Celsius, carriage horses in Vienna are also given a heat break.

The spokesperson for the professional group of Viennese carriage companies, Ursula Chytracek, felt validated in her position by the results on Wednesday. "The current scientific research study confirms in black and white: Our horses are doing excellently all year round, even in summer when it is hot," Chytracek said in a statement. "We hope that those who repeatedly attack us carriage drivers without scientific basis or knowledge will take note of the study's results and end their baseless accusations," she addressed to industry critics.

Criticism from VGT Was Not Long in Coming

The Association Against Animal Factories (VGT) countered just a few hours later with a statement: "Moving harnessed horses through traffic in a big city for many hours in great heat can and will never be species-appropriate," said spokesperson Georg Prinz.

He referred in this context, among other things, to a scientific paper by a scientist at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences in Uppsala, which states that the comfort temperature for horses usually lies between five and 25 degrees Celsius. Measurements at the carriage stand at Stephansplatz, however, sometimes show almost 38 degrees Celsius air temperature. It is also the natural behavior of horses to seek cooler and shady spots in the heat. Additionally, horses are constant eaters and "movement animals." Neither can be adequately addressed in the carriage business.

(APA/Red)

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