Ban Horse-drawn carriages
UPDATE
WE DID IT!
The carriage company has closed and horse drawn carriage rides are no longer available in Philadelphia! Horses are finally off city streets.
We are still fighting to pass legislation so that no other company can bring them back. We want horses off the streets and we will not stop until we achieve this goal.
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Horses have been pulling carriages for hundreds of years. There was a time when horses were used as an important mode of transportation. However, the question is just because we did those things in the past, must we continue doing them now?
The unanimous answer is no. Want to know why?
Horses are not meant to cart five-hundred-pound carriages PLUS Five-hundred-pounds of people around.
They are unsafe for both humans and horses. Horses are not meant to walk on asphalt surfaces. Carriages in Philadelphia operate in crowded areas with lots of traffic.
Horses are prey animals and get spooked easily. They run into oncoming traffic. Imagine you or a loved one are in the carriage when the horse is spooked. Its an accident waiting to happen.
Horse carriage drivers have been documented breaking traffic laws and regulations that protect the horses. Horses are exposed to toxic fumes from oncoming traffic for up to twelve hours a day in the frigid cold and in extreme heat.
Carriage horses have a much shorter life span (10-15 years) as compared to horses reared as companion animals (25-30 years.)
Horses do not retire and go to sanctuaries when they are old. They are sent to slaughterhouses in Canada, Mexico and beyond.
The bottomline is we live in the 21st century and do not need to use horses for entertainment anymore. Horse drawn carriages are cruel and dangerous.
Horse carriages can and must be replaced by eco-friendly electric carriages.
Its plain and simple: Horses do not belong on city streets. Its time for Philadelphia to usher in eco-tourism with electric carriages.
Ready to take action?
Reach out to Councilmember Mark Squilla (District 1)
OR
call (215) 686-3458, (215) 686-3459
