15-05-2025
Neigh-sayers demand end to France's ‘cruel' bin-collecting horses
Horse-drawn rubbish carts have become a familiar sight in French towns in recent years. The waste collection service in Le Mans, west of Paris, has employed Doupette de Lucé, a Percheron mare. In Orleans, south of the capital, the job has been given to Fendt du Lion d'Or, an Ardennais draught horse.
But in Questembert, Brittany, two eight-year-old mares, Havane and Gladez, have found themselves dragged into a controversy over claims that they are being treated like slaves.
More than 25,000 people have signed a petition denouncing the small town for employing its two Trait Breton draught horses for jobs ranging from waste collection to school transport and Christmas rides for local families.
More than 18,000 have signed a counter-petition urging Questembert to keep its
