In the heart of Sardinia, the municipality of Sedilo, in the province of Oristano, is transformed every year on 6 and 7 July into the setting of the Ardia of San Costantino, one of the most well-known and popular traditional events of Sardinian identity. This centuries-old rite combines faith and courage to symbolically recall the historic battle of the Milvian Bridge in 312 AD, the clash in which the emperor Constantine defeated the pagans, marking the turning point of Christianity.
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The fulcrum of the event is led by a top figure, the “Capocoras” (also known as the first pandela, a role this year entrusted to Davide Muscau, flanked by the knights Graziano Salaris and Marco Sotgiu), who has the task of leading a group of over sixty pairs in a wild race. The route develops around the Sanctuary of San Costantino and is characterized by strong structural problems: the animals are launched at maximum speed along the very steep slope of Su Frontigheddu, and then gallop across the arch of the church for seven consecutive laps.
Exasperating the atmosphere, making it uniquely high risk, are the deafening roar of the blank shots from Sedilo’s riflemen, the blanket of dust raised by the hooves and the oceanic crowd positioned close to the bumpy track. The event also includes religious celebrations, and then concludes with the Ottava and the subsequent Ardia on foot, scheduled for the following Sunday.
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Unseating and forced stress
However, behind the façade of popular devotion lies a reality of strong physical and behavioral stress to which horses are exposed without any possibility of choice. The 2026 morning edition, despite having concluded without lethal or tragic accidents for the animals on the track, nevertheless confirmed the intrinsic danger of the race. During the excited phases of the close gallop, in fact, two unhorses occurred, and even the parish priest of the sanctuary dedicated to the Holy Emperor fell disastrously to the ground.
Forcing horses, animals that are naturally sensitive and fearful, to run on steep and unstable terrain in the midst of continuous detonations and close-range screams is a practice incompatible with animal welfare. Wildlife protection associations strongly denounce how pure luck cannot justify the perpetuation of this collective madness. This is not about courage or sporting competitiveness, but about a clear violation of the dignity of defenseless creatures, forced to risk their lives in the name of human entertainment.
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The call for abolition
It is unacceptable that in 2026 tradition is used as a shield to defend the safety of an anachronistic practice. The ecological and civil way out is already written within the festival program itself: the definitive conversion of the event into the Ardia on foot. This alternative allows the Sardinian community to preserve intact the historical value, the cultural identity and the feeling of faith towards San Costantino, totally eliminating the suffering and dangers for the horses. Continuing to throw animals to slaughter amidst dust and firearms is a deliberate choice of cruelty that civil society must stop and abolish without further hesitation.
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