STOP horse drawn carriages in Savannah, Ga

Horse Carriage CrashMaking horses pull oversized loads like carriages is cruel. Horses are forced to toil in all weather extremes, dodge traffic, and pound the pavement all day long. They may develop respiratory ailments because they breathe in exhaust fumes, and they can suffer debilitating leg problems from walking on hard surfaces.

Accidents Waiting to Happen

Horses are sensitive and skittish animals. Animals and people have been seriously hurt—and even killed—when horses have become spooked and run amok.

There have also been countless incidents in which carriages have been hit by impatient or careless drivers. Accidents have occurred in nearly every city where carriage rides are allowed.

“There is no way that cities, with their exhaust fumes, hard road surfaces, and busy traffic patterns can provide a humane … environment for a carriage horse.”
—Veterinarian Holly Cheever
Abused ‘Til Their Dying Day

Horses are afforded no protection under the federal Animal Welfare Act, so the responsibility of looking out for their welfare falls to local animal-control officials. But anti-cruelty laws provide few safeguards to horses, and many humane agencies just don’t have the resources or the time to monitor horse-drawn carriages on a regular basis. Animals can easily be overworked when profit-driven operators fail to follow regulations.

In Charleston, South Carolina, for example, drivers are supposed to take the rectal temperature of horses after a tour when the temperature reaches 85 degrees or above, to determine if they can keep working.

In St. Augustine, Florida, horses don’t have to be pulled from service until either the ambient temperature reaches a sweltering 95 degrees or the heat index reaches 105.

Philadelphia has no regulations pertaining to heat for animal-drawn carriages.

And there are no laws preventing old, injured, or spent horses from being sent to slaughter. Horses are considered property under the law, so owners can dispose of them in any way that they want. Since many may consider it cost-prohibitive to care for an animal who isn’t bringing in any revenue, the fate of discarded horses is grim.

(All information provided has been sourced from PETA)