July 10, 2025
By Ferran Garcés
Today marks the first International Horse Day, and from Torre Bellesguard, we want to quickly join in on a recognition that has arrived so late. The first day? Yes, the declaration was made this past June 3rd (see: Resolution 79/291). The date is so recent that the horse does not yet appear on the international and world animal days calendar on the World Animal Protection website (see: list). How is this possible, considering the horse’s historical and symbolic importance? The topic would certainly merit a long debate, but that’s beyond the scope of our blog.
What did exist until now was the European Horse Day, although only since 2010. It is celebrated on the second weekend of September and includes a network of cities where horses are part of their tradition, such as Jerez de la Frontera in Cádiz. However, this day has a more “festive” than “social” character.
What’s truly new about International Horse Day, beyond its global reach across all continents, is its social scope, which includes not only equine culture but also economic aspects and, especially, the growing challenges horses face regarding their welfare. In the words of the UN itself:
“World Horse Day is more than a celebration: it is a call to protect one of humanity’s oldest alliances. It is the animal that still today helps feed us, sustains our economies, and lifts our spirits.”
The UN website adds:
“It is estimated that 112 million working equids support the livelihoods of around 600 million people in low- and middle-income countries. These animals carry water, harvests, and provide daily support to families.”
Not so long ago, horses were also part of our daily lives. Our small tribute aims to remember that not-so-distant time…
Stables, a Vanished World
At Torre Bellesguard, we can rediscover the presence of horses in two areas: symbolic and physical. An example of the former is the horse that welcomes us in the Bellesguard entrance hall, as part of a wrought iron coat rack decorated with an engraving of the legend of Saint George and the dragon. It’s tempting to say the piece is by Gaudí, but that’s not the case. In fact, we don’t know who the author is, although it has been in the house for a long time, though we can’t say exactly since when. In any case, this horse reminds us that horses have been by our side for millennia—not only as draft, transport, or leisure animals, but also as prominent figures in literature, art, and human psychology.
The second area of horse presence at Torre Bellesguard—the physical one—can be rediscovered by visiting the house’s old stables, where the original water trough has been preserved. To give some context, we’ve selected a few photos. In one of them, we see a group of guinets walking through the fields surrounding Bellesguard in Gaudí’s time. From that era—and that landscape—an image has also survived of a carriage rental shop, Antoni Arau’s, in the nearby Farró neighborhood. Another striking image is of Plaça de la Bonanova, after the noon mass, surrounded by horse-drawn carriages. All these photos were taken around 1910, the time when Gaudí had completed Torre Bellesguard.
The Carriage House, the New World
Gaudí was born into a world surrounded by horses. He himself was an accomplished rider in his youth. However, Gaudí died in a world where, slowly but steadily, cars had begun to change the entire landscape—both rural and urban.
Ramón Casas, the popular painter and contemporary of Gaudí, captured this transition in a painting titled “The Carriage House”, dated 1907, the same period when Gaudí was finishing Torre Bellesguard and beginning Casa Batlló. To understand the painting, it’s worth noting that Ramón Casas collaborated in the creation of the Royal Automobile Club of Catalonia, even designing its first emblem. This painting is, in fact, one of the first artworks to depict a car. It’s the car the painter had brought from Paris, a Delaunay-Belleville 28 HP.
Prophetically, the car in the painting looks forward, but in the background—what do we see? Yes, indeed, two horses hitched to a cart, looking back, toward the past, toward a world that would not return…
However, as we said at the beginning, according to the UN’s recent declaration on June 3rd:
“It is estimated that 112 million working equids support the livelihoods of around 600 million people in low- and middle-income countries. These animals carry water, harvests, and provide daily support to families.”
Our warmest tribute to all horses—those of the past, the present, and those who, we hope, will continue to accompany humanity, but under the best possible conditions. Our eternal companion deserves it!
