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Comment by rob74 | Hacker News Reader

Meanwhile, another city with iconic horse-drawn carriages, Vienna (where the carriages, unlike in New York, actually use city streets), is debating whether the horses should get a day off if temperatures rise above 30° C (currently it's 35°), and only a few officials are meekly suggesting that a complete ban might be considered at some point in the future.

https://www-ganz--wien-at.translate.goog/wien/news/pro-contr...

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Viennese Fiaker horses are limited to 18 working days per month and there's already temperature limits. Whether those should be lowered further is up for discussion. the current limits for horses are already lower than for outdoor laborers in Vienna.

IMO completely banning horse carriages in Vienna is overshooting.

I saw a lot of sad horses in Sevilla, with above 36°C that day

I was a bit surprised to see quite so many when I was over last August and it was well north of 35°C - you'd think with the water-bottle and sprinkler stations everywhere they'd also throw out a couple of troughs of water for the horses.

They all seemed to be in good health, from what I saw, but horses are pretty finicky creatures - we humans domesticated the horse about 20,000 years ago, breeding the strongest healthiest creatures we could, and they're still a bit shit - and I wouldn't be surprised if a less attentive driver is going to end up killing one.

> throw out a couple of troughs of water for the horses

They have, while not throughs per se, there are extra hydrants all around the fiaker places at Stefansdom, Albertina, Hofburg, etc for them to fill their horses water buckets, spray them down, etc.

Can't afford to lose some of that sweet tourist cash so they make up any excuses.

Meanwhile in Florida cowboys ride their horses every day in 38C+ weather.

There are no cowboys in Florida. Clownboys.

Wrong. Florida has fairly large cattle industry and it dates back a long time and also has a unique cowboy culture distinct from that of the American West (crackers).

Fascinating. Read up on it, thanks for the info! I am wrong. I was tossing out a dismissive as one does and shouldn't do.

Reminds me of the Vaqueros in Hawaii for whatever reason.

And then have to hose them off for an hour so they don't get heat exhaustion. I have a barn full of horses I grew up with in FL. You're misinformed.

Misinformed that people ride their horses in Florida everyday? I literally see it with my own eyes.

I'm saying they aren't regularly working their horses for hours and hours in that type of heat, day in day out. I'm not saying people don't ride them at all.

But it does seriously take a good bit of hosing them down to lower their internal temp to a safe point after being worked hard. You can't just get them wet and call it good, you need to sit there and keep it flowing over them.

Because Vienna politicians have some sense.

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