Horses now fitted with microchips

The horses which pull the carriages so popular with visitors to Palma must now have microchips under a new control system introduced by the city council yesterday. The chips are similar to those which have been fitted to dogs since last June. Joan Bauzá, the deputy Mayor, said that the council wanted to carry out exhaustive controls of both the carriages and the horses. He added that the microchip for horses is obligatory, as it is for dogs. It is placed in the left hand side of the horse's neck. Bauzà also said that the horses will have an annual check up by municipal vets, to make sure that they are in perfect health. Municipal vet Fernando López said that these microchips are being implanted in animals all over Spain. Each chip has a code, used to open a file on the horse. This, he said, prevents horses being changed from one carriage to another.