The Real Stars of San Antonio – The Carriage Horses of Downtown
You’ve seen them pull locals and tourists through a prescribed route downtown. They are often the stars of the show when they take their fares for a tour. The riders are more interested in the horse than they are the sights.
What makes for a good life for the horses?
They’re loved. They’re recognized. They have a mission and are productive about it. Most people who have a mission in life work tirelessly at it, and don’t feel like they’ve worked a minute because they love doing what they feel like they were born to do.
A draft horse isn’t satisfied if it isn’t productive. It was born to pull. It lives to use its massive muscles to fulfill its capabilities.
These horses aren’t on the street, all day every day, abused, and worn out. They’re groomed, cared for, and loved. The carriage industry is very tightly regulated and watched by people who care.
With both pasture time and work time, they have a very good work-life balance, probably better than ours. They probably receive better medical care, much better supervision and are looked after continually.
They’re always looking for something to do; hence the idyllic visuals of them simply running. Even if it’s just eating, they’re always on the move in search of something new. It doesn’t matter if it’s within the same four walls of a stall, four acres, four-hundred acres or four sections.
They can’t just stand there; they have to move.
What’s better than to let the horse move the way that it should, exercise the way it was made to? The idea that a horse is a wild animal is pure folly. These horses were bred through the ages to do work and they’re not happy unless they do.
Many herding animals, trained service animals, drug-sniffing animals, a fire accelerant detection animal, work at their preference. They’re bred that way. They’re not satisfied, they’re not happy, they’re not recognized if they don’t get to work.
A draft horse is the same; it needs to work. This is the least cruel thing that they can do. They are recognized by the people that come and go in downtown San Antonio because they know the horses are the stars.
Wouldn’t you really like the same for yourself?
Thank you for this information. What’s the status on trying to end this beautiful service?
Good morning. The only answer the city provides is ‘cruelty in the horse industry,’ whatever that means. There is no evidence or recorded issues here in SA. They want to replace these small, many-times minority- and disabled-vet-owned businesses, with modern, corporate-owned EV carriages.
Stay tuned. Follow us on social media. Thanks for reading.
I along with others in District 2 have been fighting to eliminate the CCR created by the District 2 councilman Jalen Mckee-Rodriguez. But their are other council districts 3,4,7 and 8 that signed off as well. No evidence shows that these horses are abused. The vet. advised of no animal abuse. I ask you to join on the fight. We need to tell the mayor as well this cannot go to the governance committee. We must support our local business. How can we put out 5 businesses out, why to replace our beautiful horses with electric carts. All because of a n.y lobbyist trying to make money off of San Antonio. I am a 25 year community leader on the eastside. If you want to join us please do . 210-420-4320
Rose Hill