September 2021 Issue

Page 32 September 2021 EAST COAST EQUESTRIAN Philadelphia’s Last Carriage Stable May Be Developed The letter pointed specifi- cally to concerns about stabling, handling and spooking, as well as health conditions related to the work such as laminitis and respiratory issues as reasons to ban the urban carriage trade. It also pointed to “sourcing” of the horses from Amish farms, which could mean they suffer from pre-existing conditions related to farm work. White said city regulations governing working horses in ex- treme temperatures are not tough enough and put horses at risk for heat-related health issues, such as heat prostration. “They can’t drive in 92 degrees or above, but they drive at 91 degrees and the pavement makes it hotter, she said. The Animal Care and Control Team (ACCT), the entity that enforces city regulations regarding carriage horses, says it has not cited 76 Carriage for any heat violations this summer, a spokeswoman said. The last serious carriage horse accident in Philadelphia occurred almost ten years ago. In 2012 a driv- er was seriously injured when her horse bolted, flipping the carriage in Center City. In 2010 a car hit a carriage near Independence Mall, touching off a chain reaction involv- ing other two other carriages that injured five people and five horses. 76 Carriage Co. became the last carriage company in the city in 2017 after Philadelphia Carriage Company was shut down by the city over conditions in its stables. The ten carriage horses owned by Philadelphia Carriage Company that were taken in by Gentle Giants Draft Horse Res- cue and Rehabilitation have since been adopted and are living out their lives on farms, said Chris- tine Hajek, president and founder of the group. White said her group is pushing the City Council to follow the lead of Chicago, Salt Lake City and oth- er cities around the world that have passed legislation to ban carriages. White recommends replacing the carriages with electric horseless carriages, or e-carriages, based on the designs of early automobiles. White drafted legislation based on the Chicago ordinance that she presented to the City Council but has yet to find a spon- sor. She said she has a petition with 27,000 signatures from members of the public supporting the ban. Councilman Mark Squilla, who was instrumental in shutting down the Philadelphia Carriage Company, did not respond to a request for comment on a ban. WHYY radio reported he is looking into other cities that have implemented horseless carriages. “Electric horse-drawn car- riages are a win-win solution to the problem of the inhumane and dangerous horse-drawn carriag- es,” White told WHYY. “There is no job loss. The carriage com- pany will experience increased profits with the e-carriages” and Philadelphia will get good press by becoming the first U.S. city to transition to e-carriages. (Continued from page 20) A horse drawn carriage waits for passengers on a street in center city Philadel- phia. Several groups in Philadelphia are seeking a ban on horse-drawn car- riages and proposing they be replaced by e-carriages. Photo credit: Janet White