In France, a municipal horse (French: cheval territorial) is a horse utilized for various public service tasks on behalf of a local authority. This approach aligns with sustainable development and ecological solutions, as it aims to preserve the authenticity of the sites involved. The commune of Saint-Pierre-sur-Dives was a pioneer in this practice, introducing the mare "Uranie" in 1993. The commune of Trouville-sur-Mer organizes an annual congress and leads the national municipal horse commission (la commission nationale des chevaux territoriaux). In 2012, the role of coachman formally defined, and this profession was officially registered in the Répertoire national des métiers. As of 2015, approximately 300 communes of France employed one or more municipal horses. Their duties are diverse, typically involving tourism, waste management, maintenance of green spaces, safety and prevention, or personal transport. Municipal horses have attracted interest among the public, contributing to connections between residents and municipal services. They serve as representations of the municipalities that employ them. While the use of horses may be considered traditional, some view them as more appealing than motorized vehicles due to their ecological benefits and potential for job creation, often at comparable or lower costs. However, horses necessitate a greater time investment for their care compared to motorized vehicles.
Definition
Various names have been used for the municipal horse, including cheval cantonnier, cheval citadin, cheval communal, and cheval citoyen. A symposium held in Avignon in 2000 focused on the theme of "the horse in the city." The term "municipal horse" was officially adopted during the first Congrès national des chevaux territoriaux in Trouville-sur-Mer in 2003. In late 2012, a report by the Conseil général de l'alimentation, de l'agriculture et des espaces ruraux (CGAAER) defined the term as "a horse used by a local authority (either independently or as a service provider) to carry out public service missions in its territory, such as passenger transport, waste collection, maintenance of green spaces or natural areas, and prevention and security". In Switzerland, the term "urban horse" is used. However, the concept of "municipal horse" remains challenging to define comprehensively.
History
There is currently insufficient data to provide a comprehensive overview of the municipal horse and its related structures, as thorough investigations have not been conducted. Historically, French communes utilized horses for various tasks before the rise of motor vehicles. The modernization of transportation in the 20th century led to a decline in the use of working animals in France. Pierre Rabhi described this shift as a "rupture," highlighting society's reliance on oil and its disconnection from the earth. The concept of municipal horses emerged from sustainable development ideas popularized in the 1990s, coinciding with a gradual reintroduction of horses into agricultural practices. The initiative began with the town council of Saint-Pierre-sur-Dives, a rural commune closely associated with the Percheron draught horse. Since 1993, Bruno Rible has employed a grey mare named "Uranie" for municipal tasks such as garbage collection, cleaning gutters, and providing carriage rides for children. This initiative received official recognition in 1995 and garnered significant media attention. Following this example, several pioneering communes began to adopt municipal horses. In 1999 and 2000, Trouville-sur-Mer implemented a similar system to manage its glass waste, motivated by the lower costs of acquiring a horse compared to specialized motor vehicles and the desire to minimize disturbances in the tourist area. The commune introduced a five-year-old Percheron named Festival de Mai for this purpose. In 2003, Trouville-sur-Mer hosted the first national municipal horse congress. That year, Haras Nationaux commissioned a Sofres survey to assess public perceptions of horses in urban areas. The findings indicated that the presence of horses contributes positively to the urban environment, enhancing its social and aesthetic appeal. As part of the "Horse and Territories" initiative, Haras Nationaux analyzed various community projects involving horses in 2005. Since the 2000s, an increasing number of French communes have established and expanded public horse-drawn services. This trend led to the creation of a municipal horse championship in 2009, which included participation from 70 communes, and the formation of a national municipal horse commission in 2011. Currently, over a hundred communities utilize at least one horse for public service. By the end of 2012, approximately 200 communes either had a municipal horse or were planning to acquire one. The French government has tasked the CGAAER with analyzing this phenomenon to evaluate the potential for further development of municipal horses. Interest from mayors was evident in November 2013, and by October 2015, around 300 communes were using a municipal horse, whether on an occasional or year-round basis. The popularity of these initiatives prompted the Centre national de la fonction publique territoriale and the Institut français du cheval et de l'équitation to organize several "equi-meetings" in 2015 and 2016. These meetings aimed to review existing projects and assist municipalities interested in establishing their own horse-drawn services. Additionally, to promote and preserve the Breton horse breed, the Brittany region launched a call for projects in September 2013, offering financial support for initiatives involving Breton horses. This call for projects has been renewed annually, with between 8 and 12 Breton communities responding each year. The initiative allows for the evaluation or implementation of activities related to the Breton draft horse. Each year, the Faire à cheval network produces a report assessing projects initiated two years prior to track changes in community usage and highlight key factors contributing to the success of these initiatives.
Missions A municipal horse can undertake a variety of missions, including mounted police, domestic waste collection, and awareness-raising on selective sorting, transport of people (schools, tourism, and the elderly), maintenance of green spaces (lawn mowing, watering vegetation, logging), maintenance of protected natural sites, herd surveillance, and social actions.
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