Princes’ Island horses rehomed in northern city

ISTANBUL

Horses from Istanbul’s Princes’ Island, where horse-drawn carriages were banned over concerns about animal mistreatment, have been rehomed in the northern province of Kastamonu.

The Istanbul Municipality first suspended the use of horses to carry visitors around the island for three months in 2019. It later decided to make the ban permanent, purchasing the horses and assuming responsibility for their care at municipal farms.

A total of 51 horses under municipal care were rehomed to local horse farms and residents in Kastamonu’s Daday district.

Of the horses brought to the district, 16 were handed over to four horse farms selected by lottery by Daday Municipality, while the remaining 35 were allocated to local residents to be used for various work and activities.

Levent Bıyıklı, who runs a horse farm in Daday, said four horses had been handed over to them free of charge.

“Our horses at the farm are native breeds. We cannot have our guests ride English or Arabian horses, so since most of our visitors are beginners, we let them ride the native horses. We offer outdoor tours, including two medium-length routes and a longer one. They can ride for as long as they wish. Those who do not want to go outside can ride within the farm,” he said.

“They are a little more comfortable here after being taken out of the carriages, and we are happy with them. They had sent horses here before as well. The ones we received back then were very thin and neglected. But the horses that arrived this time are in very good condition. We will continue to care for them in the same way.”

Meanwhile, the Adalar Atları Platform, a group campaigning on behalf of the island’s horses, filed a lawsuit seeking a stay of execution, alleging that the animals had been transported in trucks without

partitions and without the necessary documents and veterinary reports.

Local media reported that while the municipality was responsible for transporting the horses, the decision to dispatch them came from the district office, under the authority of the Agriculture and Forestry Ministry.