Paris will ban pony rides for children in its public parks from 2025 following a campaign by animal rights activists who argue that the ponies are not treated well.

Pony rides have been a popular activity for children in Paris parks like Champ de Mars, Parc Monceau and Parc du Luxembourg for decades, mostly on the weekends and during school holidays.

Animal rights groups have campaigned for years to ban the rides, arguing that ponies have to work long days without ever having their bit removed, have no permanent access to fresh water and hay, and suffer hours in transport trucks into town.

READ MORE

FIFA tells women to 'pick the right fights'

Chinese students are victims of UK strikes

Fish skin clothing promotes zero waste

"Ponies are not toys. Children learn nothing about them from these walks, no emotional link is created. It just turns ponies into entertainment objects," Paris Animaux Zoopolis (PAZ) activist Amandine Sansivens said.

A PAZ petition to ban the rides has gathered more than 8,400 signatures.

After introducing a charter for the wellbeing of ponies in 2021, city hall last month decided to phase out the ride operators' licenses.

Stephane Michaud, director of AnimaPoney - which operated pony rides in several Paris parks but has now closed half of these - said his ponies work only about 150 days per year.

At his Rambouillet pony center south of Paris, he said that he had started bringing ponies from the countryside into Paris in the 90s because at the time ponies were kept in stables in the city in less-than-optimal conditions.

Meanwhile, Parisians taking children on a pony ride shared their doubts about the ban. Meryem, 63, walking with two ponies on a leash, each carrying one grandchild, said if the rides are banned, city hall should explain its reasons.

"But then what else do we need to stop?" she asked. "Horseback riding? Mounted police? Breeding race horses?"

Subscribe to Storyboard: A weekly newsletter bringing you the best of CGTN every Friday

Cover image: Children take a pony ride on the Parc Monceau in Paris, France. /Stephanie Lecocq/Reuters