RE: Approved – Carriages Plan on Track (October 24).
By approving the re-introduction of horse-drawn carriages to the city, Oxford City Council is demonstrating that it values profit more than public and equine safety.
Carriages are dangerous to riders, pedestrians, motorists and horses.
Horses are very easily spooked and can shy, buck or flee, causing drivers to lose control, which can result in injury and even death to riders and passers–by.
In recent years, a bride in Worcestershire sustained major injuries when she was thrown from a horse-drawn carriage and a woman from Bury St Edmunds was killed when a horse pulling a cart at a country fair bolted. Horses can suffer serious leg ailments from pounding on hard surfaces all day. Lameness and hoof deterioration are common.
Even in cities with stringent rules, violations such as over-working horses or failing to provide proper care are common.
Just recently, a horse used to pull carriages in New York City collapsed and died in front of a shocked public.
The dangers of this industry are very real. If the council proceeds with this madness, then perhaps it should start planning how it will explain to the family of the first victim – which there may well be – why it allowed such a tragedy to occur.
MIMI BEKHECHI, Manager, PETA, London
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