For a horse named Tuesday,
every day seems to be her unlucky day. That's what tourists and bystanders have found out when they saw the carriage horse collapse due to exhaustion during one of the several carriage rides she gives per day.
Tuesday was dragging a group of lazy tourists around Melbourne, Australia, when she suddenly collapsed. People who saw the unfortunate horse break down rushed to her aid. And most would have expected Tuesday's handler to do the same. Unfortunately, that's not what happened.
Sign in support of ending horse-drawn carriage rides in Melbourne and getting justice for Tuesday the horse. Instead of dropping everything to tend to poor Tuesday,
he just drop-kicked her. Onlookers were in shock as the handler, who works for Unique Carriage Hire (UCH), kicked her repeatedly in the head while he screamed at her to get up.
The whole incident was caught on film, and you can here Tuesday's handler screaming,
"Get up, fu***** lazy b***," at the fallen mare.
After Tuesday finally got to her feet,
she was strapped back in and forced to continue the ride. As the video made the rounds, people started to demand answers. The owner of UCH felt obliged to make a statement in the handler's defense. Apparently, he "just lost his cool," but didn't kick Tuesday out of any malice.
Losing your temper is NO excuse for animal abuse. The fact that the owner of UCH is defending his employee, rather than firing him, speaks volumes. Neither he nor his employees have the horses' best interests in mind.
If you don't agree with treating horses this way, sign the petition. A quick Google search returns several tragic stories of carriage horse abuse around the world. From scared ponies that break free of their reigns, to horses like Tuesday that collapse due to exhaustion - some even get hit by oncoming traffic. This is no way to treat a living, breathing animal. Especially when there are so many alternatives to get around. We must take on the cities that continue to allow this cruel and antiquated practice.
Unlike Mr. Ed, real horses can't talk. That's why it is so vital that we speak for them and help defend them from animal cruelty. Add your voice to the movement to make sure none of these horses has to give another carriage ride ever again.
Sign the petition and demand that UCH is investigated for animal cruelty and that the city of Melbourne ban horse-drawn carriages for good.