The weather warning stops, once again, the ancient Palio of Siena. The race scheduled for Thursday 2 July will be postponed until tomorrow due to the heavy rain that has been affecting Tuscany and other regions in the last few hours, after the sultry heat wave. The communication came officially from the Tuscan municipality (after the cancellation of the Provaccia), given that the forecast indicates further showers during the afternoon, in which the historic “Carriera” should have taken place. As usual, the three-light green flag was displayed from the windows of Palazzo Pubblico to inform participants and tourists of the cancellation of the event for safety reasons.
According to the Palio regulations, in case of adverse weather the race is not simply postponed by a few hours, but directly postponed to the following day. Tomorrow, however, the weather situation should not be critical.
Dangerous track for both horses and jockeys
The postponement of the race was necessary to protect both the horses and the jockeys. In fact, the mud created by the rains covered the layer of earth composed of a mixture of tuff, clay and sand on the occasion of the Palio. The ground is very slippery, so the risk of accidents along the three San Martino and Casato curves is high. But the municipality of Siena says that the workers responsible for maintenance of the track are already at work to dry the track in preparation for tomorrow.
The issue of animal welfare
The postponement of the race for safety reasons inevitably brings attention to the controversies that have accompanied the Palio di Siena for years on the animal welfare front. The historic event has long been contested by animal rights associations and animal rights organizations, who call for its abolition, denouncing the risks to which the horses are exposed during the race. Over the years there have been accidents, sometimes with fatal consequences for the animals. Do we still want to continue using horses, even putting their lives at risk, why can’t we give up a tradition?
