Tough Question: Should Carriage Horses be Banned in Major Cities?
The question of the welfare of carriage horses has been a hotly debated issue recently, after the four carriage horses collapsed in New York City, New York within a time span of six weeks, and two of them died.
The ASPCA takes the view that “carriage horses were never meant to live and work in today’s urban setting. In addition to the dangers of working in congested areas, these horses spend their days directly behind cars, trucks, and buses, inhaling their fumes.”
New York Mayor, Michael Bloomberg, says, “There’s enormous demand [for horse drawn carriage rides] and we want to keep things going in this city that tourists like, and I think they add something to the charm of New York City, and when I see them, they all look pretty healthy to me.”
Although media attention has centred around the situation in New York, carriage horses are also a popular tourist attraction in Canadian cities such as Victoria, British Columbia, and Toronto, Ontario, and the same questions of equine welfare apply.
What do you think? Should carriage horses be banned in major cities?
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Photo: Robin Duncan Photography