{"id":156825,"date":"2025-07-10T14:12:58","date_gmt":"2025-07-10T12:12:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bellesguardgaudi.com\/?p=156825"},"modified":"2025-07-11T11:07:11","modified_gmt":"2025-07-11T09:07:11","slug":"first-international-horse-day","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bellesguardgaudi.com\/en\/first-international-horse-day\/","title":{"rendered":"First International Horse Day\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Ferran Garc\u00e9s<\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/span><\/p>\n

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<\/a>). 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<\/a>). How is this possible, considering the horse\u2019s historical and symbolic importance? The topic would certainly merit a long debate, but that\u2019s beyond the scope of our blog.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What did exist until now was the European Horse Day<\/a>, 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 C\u00e1diz. However, this day has a more \u201cfestive\u201d than \u201csocial\u201d character.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What\u2019s 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:<\/span>
\n\u201cWorld Horse Day is more than a celebration: it is a call to protect one of humanity\u2019s oldest alliances. It is the animal that still today helps feed us, sustains our economies, and lifts our spirits.\u201d\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

The UN website adds:<\/span>
\n\u201cIt 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.\u201d\u00a0<\/em>
\nNot so long ago, horses were also part of our daily lives. Our small tribute aims to remember that not-so-distant time…<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Stables, a Vanished World<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u2019s tempting to say the piece is by Gaud\u00ed, but that\u2019s not the case. In fact, we don\u2019t know who the author is, although it has been in the house for a long time, though we can\u2019t say exactly since when. In any case, this horse reminds us that horses have been by our side for millennia\u2014not only as draft, transport, or leisure animals, but also as prominent figures in literature, art, and human psychology.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The second area of horse presence at Torre Bellesguard\u2014the physical one\u2014can be rediscovered by visiting the house\u2019s old stables, where the original water trough has been preserved. To give some context, we\u2019ve selected a few photos. In one of them, we see a group of guinets walking through the fields surrounding Bellesguard in Gaud\u00ed\u2019s time. From that era\u2014and that landscape\u2014an image has also survived of a carriage rental shop, Antoni Arau\u2019s, in the nearby Farr\u00f3 neighborhood. Another striking image is of Pla\u00e7a de la Bonanova, after the noon mass, surrounded by horse-drawn carriages. All these photos were taken around 1910, the time when Gaud\u00ed had completed Torre Bellesguard.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"\"\"\"\"\"\"\"\" <\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

The Carriage House, the New World<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Gaud\u00ed was born into a world surrounded by horses. He himself was an accomplished rider in his youth. However, Gaud\u00ed died in a world where, slowly but steadily, cars had begun to change the entire landscape\u2014both rural and urban.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Ram\u00f3n Casas, the popular painter and contemporary of Gaud\u00ed, captured this transition in a painting titled\u00a0<\/span>\u201cThe Carriage House\u201d<\/span><\/b>, dated 1907, the same period when Gaud\u00ed was finishing Torre Bellesguard and beginning Casa Batll\u00f3. To understand the painting, it\u2019s worth noting that Ram\u00f3n 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\u2019s the car the painter had brought from Paris, a Delaunay-Belleville 28 HP.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/span><\/p>\n

Prophetically, the car in the painting looks forward, but in the background\u2014what do we see? Yes, indeed, two horses hitched to a cart, looking back, toward the past, toward a world that would not return…<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

However, as we said at the beginning, according to the UN\u2019s recent declaration on June 3rd:<\/span>
\n\u201cIt 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.\u201d\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Our warmest tribute to all horses\u2014those 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!<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Ferran Garc\u00e9s\u00a0 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 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":156811,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,172],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-156825","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-a-day-like-today","category-news-and-agenda"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nFirst International Horse Day\u00a0 - Obra Modernista de Antoni Gaud\u00ed en Barcelona | Torre Bellesguard<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/bellesguardgaudi.com\/en\/first-international-horse-day\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"First International Horse Day\u00a0 - Obra Modernista de Antoni Gaud\u00ed en Barcelona | Torre Bellesguard\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"By Ferran Garc\u00e9s\u00a0 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. 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