KrakowInformer.com

A traditional highland carriage - fasiag - operating on the way to Morskie Oko mountain hill

Carriage horses work limit

is 12 hours maximum now

Fasiag traditional cart

Jordek died at work

Along with new season came new regulations for horses working in both Krakow Market Square and in Zakopane's picturesque lake - Morskie Oko. They have been designed to avoid serious accidents involving horse-drawn vehicles and to ensure animal welfare regulations are observed.

Last yearaccidents in Krakow Market Square proved a need of strenghted control over the carriage business. This year all horses pulling carriages in the Market Square are not to work longer than 12 hours and are obliged to have an ID microchip to prevent  harnessing of unauthorized animals, unfamiliar with heavy city traffic or in a bad health conditon. Another regulation is the temperature limit, 28 degrees Celsius (ca. 82 F) in shade. When it gets hotter, the carriages are to leave the Market Square immediately and seek shade in surrounding streets. A reliable thermometer to measure air temperature is to be hung any day on a side of newly renovated Sukiennice building.

Tatra National Park, institution responsible for maintaining tourist traffic on the way to Morskie Oko has gone ever further and has required all owners of horses pulling 'fasiagi' traditional carts uphill towards tourist base in Morskie Oko to carry out blood stress tests. This is to ensure all horses are fit eniugh to climb steep road with several people on the cart a few times a day. Such precautions have been taken after a horse named Jordek died of overworking on the way to Morskie Oko last year. According to the new regulations no more than 14 adult people can be taken with one ride up and 16 down Morskie Oko road.