Tag:amenity=animal_hitch
 amenity = animal_hitch
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A place where animals can be hitched or tied to. 
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| Group: amenities |
| Used on these elements |
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| Status: in use |
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The tag amenity=animal_hitch indicates a place where pack animals like horses, donkeys, ponies, camels, alpacas and llamas can be hitched, while their riders go about their business. It can also be used for hitching dogs and other pets that are taken for walks. In the past, they were common for horses in the vicinity of churches and other amenities, and still are in some countries.
As of April 2024[update], amenity=hitching_post is the more common tag, as it is a real word in English-speaking regions. See tags' history.
How to map
Add a node and tag with amenity=animal_hitch. Add the appropriate designated tag for the appropriate animal, for example horse=designated.
As sub-types, it is suggested to use animal_hitch=ring, animal_hitch=rail (in combination with capacity=*) or animal_hitch=post.
| animal_hitch=ring | animal_hitch=rail | animal_hitch=post |
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If they are in a free-standing wall or there is a certain direction the animals are supposed to stand at a post, indicate direction=*. It is also possible to add the tag to an area.
It might also be useful to tag the access=* and material=*.
One needs to decide from the context and history of a place whether it could be for horses - a mounting block or water trough nearby would be a clue - or whether it might be for dogs (outside shops).
The prefix disused can be used where it is certain or likely that the feature is disused, because no longer safe for horses to be left, because the environment has changed, i.e. too close to a road.
Examples
A row of horse hitching posts in New Orleans
Hitched horses in Winesburg, Ohio
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