How a distorted image and social envy give rise to the idea of a horse tax

What are footballers actually like? They have too many tattoos, get far too much money and have too little knowledge of grammar – some people, not excluding myself, will be able to subscribe to this admittedly exaggerated description. And it shouldn’t be too difficult to find examples. But so are prejudices. And that is precisely where the problem lies. A problem that everyone in Reutlingen who has anything to do with horses is now experiencing. To put it more precisely: everyone who will have to pay horse tax in the Swabian city, which is known for having the narrowest street in the world.

Prejudices and truths

If you had asked those who decided on the tax in the local council how they experience riders, they would probably have talked about SUVs parked in front of stables. Of huge trucks carrying two horses, of horses being flown out of Doha (where people are actually riding again) while passengers waited in Dubai for the chance to get home. They had reported millions being spent on horses. They were right on every single point.

What the local council doesn’t see: The trainer C who, with a great deal of dedication, manages to keep her pony troupe reasonably profitable throughout the year and thus offers children the opportunity to immerse themselves in the wonderful world of horses. They don’t see the therapist who helps people with disabilities to enjoy their weekly highlight on horseback or in their encounters with horses.

They don’t see the joy, the enrichment of life that horses bring.

What to do?

You could be outraged by this. You could criticize the Reutlingen local council for it, accuse them of ignorance. But that would not be right. Instead, we should ask ourselves why Reutlingen apparently perceives us horse people in the same way that others perceive prejudices against soccer tattoos. One answer: visibility.

A school, a stable where a kindergarten teacher or a nurse with a lot of initiative is able to live the expensive hobby of horses does not have the time to present itself to the public. They look after the horses, first things first.

Horrendous sums are not only involved in equestrian sport

Of course, money plays a major role in equestrian sport and even more so in big sport. But that doesn’t just apply to riding. Alexander Zverev won more than 1.6 million dollars on the tennis court in 2025, and over his entire career he is expected to win more than 60 million dollars – in prize money alone, not including sponsorship income.

According to Google research, Reutlingen has at least four clubs that offer tennis. Wouldn’t a tennis court tax be a really good idea? No, of course not. It’s not about passing the buck based on social envy. But what we can recommend to the people of Reutlingen is to look at other local authorities who have tried to solve their budgetary problems by keeping horses. Many local authorities have recognized the mistake and withdrawn the tax. However, this has left scorched earth in its wake. Horse businesses have been destroyed by the tax.

Reutlingen must ask itself this question: Does the city of Reutlingen want to make headlines not only because of the narrowest street in the world, but also as the most narrow-minded municipality?

With this in mind, best regards and see you next Monday!

Jan Tönjes
jan.toenjes@equi-pages.de

This text was first published on March 30, 2026. Every Monday, Jan Tönjes comments on the events of the previous week in our newsletter on EQUI PAGES.

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