The Case for Shuttering Horse-Drawn Carriages Needs to be Put Down

As our city officials continue to push their narrative about removing our horse carriage industry on paid posts, the comments from “bless their hearts” uninformed opponents are astonishing.

They say ”poor horses shouldn’t work in heat conditions,” “it’s so unsafe for drivers,” “the exhaust/emissions is bad for them,” “they are outdated and should be put to pasture.”

Please. 

The city has heat, health, schedule and care regulations for the industry.  Horses have massive lung capacity.  They breathe through their mouth, filtering out debris.

The state has car emissions regulations, and should perhaps focus on getting those cars fixed or off the roads to help human air quality.

The City has proposed and begun their Green Energy 2030 plan to remove cars from downtown.  No worries there, you won’t be able to drive there anyway.

We are seeing here a level of interference by our city officials in a legitimate small business that is frankly frightening and appalling. 

Can they really ban, with a stroke of the pen, a lawful business that has operated safely for decades without city subsidy or drain on city services?  A business with a clean record of observing all applicable city regulations? 

Will they cavalierly just wipe out the livelihood of over 100 hard working citizens?

To their credit, these carriages and horses provide community outreach for children at local hospitals, like Make a Wish Foundation.  They help create memories for young and old as our city four legged ambassadors.

Know the whole story.  Learn the facts about Equine health.  Know that your concerns should be with the loose dog roaming your neighborhood, cats that continue to have litters, vicious dogs that kill other pets even humans, etc.

These horses are more loved than most domestic pets.  That’s the truth that Dr. Ben Espy DVM shared with officials.

Please stand with these horses and their owners.