Colombian congress member Alirio Barrera brought his horse to work on Tuesday to support the country’s farmers.
Since two weeks ago, members of Colombia’s Congress can bring their pets to work. Senate president Roy Barreras introduced the new policy with his dog chilling in his lap. He said that the move makes the Congress of Colombia “the first in the world to be pet-friendly.”
“If a cat or a dog and all of these animals are allowed to enter, why shouldn’t an animal such as this one [horse]?” Barrera said as he walked his horse into the office.
Barrera’s move is part of a protest against initiatives that could forbid certain activities involving horses, such as cattle herding. He rode his white horse, named Pasaporte, through the capital Bogota and then walked with him into the halls of Congress.
His ride to work irritated some colleagues. Senator Andrea Padilla criticized him, calling the move “an immature attitude with which he wanted to ridicule a good decision.”
“It is not the same thing to take a dog to the office as a horse,” she said. “A horse suffers on the concrete, on the sidewalk, it suffers on these waxed floors,” Padilla said.
On Twitter, Barrera defended his decision to bring his horse to work:” Why did I take my horse? Today I want to leave you a message on behalf of 14.5 million Colombian peasants, 500,000 ranching families and 3 million horsemen.”
“There is another Colombia outside the big cities! Behind the buildings, we are the people of the town,” he added.
Todos son muy "pet-friendly" hasta que Alirio Barrera les mete un caballo a la sala. 😁 pic.twitter.com/ScjlANlFRX
— 🔥 Fennix 🔥 (@Fennix73) September 27, 2022
