Ban Horse-Drawn Carriages in Philadelphia

Horse-drawn carriages are exploitative.   In order to generate a profit and provide entertainment for tourists, the horses are enslaved and forced into a brutal existence. They are forced to work on hard pavement in dangerous, unhealthful, and unnatural conditions. This is an injustice to horses, who are social beings, and who are naturally born to live with other animals and run free.

Horse-drawn carriages are a danger to people in vehicles, pedestrians, and bike-riders in Philadelphia, one of the most congested cities in the U.S. The carriages impede the flow of traffic, including emergency vehicles. Accidents (like the one that occurred on April 19, 2010 at 6th and Race Streets) are inevitable, as horses are easily frightened by loud, sudden noises and seemingly light impacts (even the jolt of the harness), which are a frequent occurrence in Philadelphia. The natural instinct of horses is to run when they are frightened, resulting in many serious accidents, as demonstrated throughout the world.

There is no way to eliminate the degradation that these horses endure every day without a permanent ban.

QUESTIONS RELATING TO THE PROPOSED BAN OF HORSE-DRAWN CARRIAGES

1.Will a Horse-Drawn Carriage Ban Affect Tourism in Philadelphia?
Abundant attractions for tourists in our great city including Independence Hall, Liberty Bell, Walnut Street Theater, National Constitution Center, Franklin Square, art galleries, wonderful restaurants, and Ride the Ducks sightseeing tours of historic Philadelphia. Philadelphia has much more to offer tourists than an out-dated, falsely romanticized perception that further exploits domesticated animals.

2. Will a Horse-Drawn Carriage Ban Result In Significant Job Loss?
The abundance of other tour and sight-seeing businesses in Philadelphia combined with the fact that the largest horse-drawn carriage company, 76 Carriage Company, operates many of these touring businesses, should make for an easy transition for carriage drivers who are affected by the ban.

3. What Will Happen to the Horses When the Proposed Ban is Implemented?
We are proposing that all of the horses be put into sanctuaries so that they can enjoy some of the freedoms that they have been denied for their entire lives. We believe that many of the horses who are part of this unjust industry end up in slaughterhouses, once they are physically and mentally shattered and their owners can no longer generate a profit. A ban will help to put an end to this vicious cycle.

4. Aren%u2019t Horse-Drawn Carriages Romantic and Part of Tradition?
Horse-drawn carriages are a dangerous tradition that is exploitative and unnecessary in the 21st century. There is absolutely nothing romantic about animal exploitation.

5.  Don%u2019t the horses need jobs?  They are bred to do this work, right?There is a big difference between a job and the life-threatening conditions carriage horses endure.  Day after day of inhaling fumes from traffic takes its toll.  Exposure to the noxious emission fumes of vehicles causes horses to incur significant lung tissue damage and cellular changes.  Weather takes its toll as well: when there is no business, horses just stand in metal shoes on asphalt that can reach 200° F in this part of the country.  Horses can lose 8 - 10 gallons of fluid with exercise in a hot environment, but if the air is saturated by high humidity, they are unable to sweat properly and therefore unable to cool themselves by evaporation.  This lack of internal regulation of bodily temperature can lead to life-threatening heat stroke or joint diseases like laminitis.