From June to October, it transports tourists and locals from the station to the ramparts of Saint-Malo. But since this weekend, the horse-drawn shuttle has been stopped. A decision taken by Solène Lavenan, manager of the company The Horses of the Sea which has been providing this service for six years, following threats received. It all started about a week ago with an email from an Animalist Party activist saying she was “outraged” and calling for “do everything to stop this means of transport worthy of the Middle Ages. »
In the process, the party represented by Hélène Thouy in the last presidential election published a post on its social networks to denounce this horse-drawn shuttle service. “In Saint-Malo, as in many cities in France, horse-drawn carriages are used to show tourists around the city… Horses operated in direct sunlight, on the road, among cars… This kind of practice must stop”, could we read before the message was deleted.
The Animalist Party apologizes
A publication that made Solène Lavenan jump. “These are defamatory and unfounded comments from hysterical imbeciles who know nothing about it”, fulminates the business manager contacted by 20 minutes. “I have been accused of abuse even though I have been working with horses for 25 years with respect for animal welfare,” she continues. My horses mean as much to me as my daughter and they are adapted to this type of activity. »
After targeting Solène Lavenan, the Animalist Party backpedaled a few days later by modifying its original publication. “The article we used on horse-drawn carriage rides is just one example, and the company quoted, whose treatment of its animals we cannot predict, is not specifically targeted by our publication,” the animal rights party wrote, “apologizing to the company in question. »
The manager will file a complaint for threats and defamation
“False excuses” which Solène Lavenan does not want, who has decided to temporarily suspend her activity. “These extremists have already attacked professional ringleaders,” she said. I therefore do not want there to be any public disorder or harm to my physical integrity and that of my horses. »
The leader, who at the same time continues her walks and aperitifs horseback riding along the coast, however plans to resume her carriage service very soon. “I will not give in to their threats,” she said. Supported by the National Union of Animal Traction Professionals, Solène Lavenan will also file a complaint for threats and defamation.