The Chicago City Council has officially banned cruel horse-drawn carriages after operators were found repeatedly violating the regulations governing the industry.
The decision follows concerns from aldermen and animal rights proponents about horses being worked for long hours in busy, polluted streets and extreme weather conditions, without rest or regular water.
Lady Freethinker welcomes the ban.
“By ending the cruel and needless carriage industry, Chicago is helping lead the way toward a more compassionate future,” said Lady Freethinker founder Nina Jackel. “Horses were never meant to haul humans down noisy, dirty city streets.”
Prior to the ban, Chicago tightened its regulations, stating that horses can only be worked for six hours per day, need to have a 15-minute break every hour, should not be out on the streets when temperatures are below 15 degrees or above 90 degrees, and can’t work during rush hour.
After operators constantly broke the rules — in 2017 alone, Chicago issued over 334 citations to the city’s three carriage operators — the city aldermen became frustrated.
“The violations that the city has amassed against these operators are beyond dispute,” 2nd Ward Ald. Brian Hopkins said. “The fact remains we have specific rules that are laid out, and this industry has operated in consistent violation of those rules over a period of time.”
The city’s horse-drawn carriage rides will end before January 1, 2021. Existing carriage licences will not be renewed, and no more licences will be issued.
It is great news that Chicago — along with a number of other cities, including Salt Lake City, Biloxi, and Camden — has banned horse-drawn carriages. This inhumane industry, however, needs to be prohibited in all U.S. states to ensure that these wonderful animals are no longer abused for the entertainment of tourists.
What’s New…
Great News! Now ban this cruelty everywhere!
This is good news!
END ALL HORSE DRAWN CARRIAGE RIDES…NOW!!!! FOREVER!!!! END ANIMAL ABUSE!!!! END USING ANIMALS FOR HUMAN ENTERTAINMENT & GREED!!!!
These Horses don’t deserve to be made to work through the Urban Cities while pulling heavy carriages loaded with humans. These HORSES ARE NOT SLAVES. These animals works from early morning until the late evenings without having to be free from the heavy chains around them & heavy carriages tied to their bodies. What a way to live a life. These defenseless animals are being subjected to live a totally miserable & destressed, painful life.
Why it is always, the Profit versus the wellbeing of an animal & the peoples GREED FOR MONEY TAKES OVER ABOVE ALL ELSE.?
A larger power must step in & BAN/STOP this animal abuse & rescue the vulnerable & make them live in sanctuaries the rest of their lives in peace. (Unless if the so called USDA also has any skeletons in their own closets) where they are being bribed by the owners of these industries, to get away from the cruelty done to animals.
PLEASE BAN THIS STONE AGE INDUSTRY. WHO NEED THE HORSES WHEN YOU HAVE COMFORTABLE TRANSPORTATION TO TRAVEL ON.
what happens to the horses? where will they go? their fate will probably be questionable unless a rescue group intervenes.
Unfortunately, it’s very likely that the horses, currently being exploited, do not have a favorable future. Their bleak future will happen in order to pave the way for no more exploitation of horses in this industry. Rescues are not always the answer because they do not have the resources to save them all. The governments that allowed the legal cruelty should be responsible for their care as needed–but that won’t happen either–poor babies.
I so agree. They definitely need to be banned in New York also….the worst culprits!!!
It’s about time.
Shut it down animals are to live free just like you
yep i pray horses carriage need shut down and horses not belong on street they have buy own small tractor on street no carriages enough time horses let go free country or people who take care horses ranch or country horses will be happy new home
Glad horse drawn carriages are now banned. People ruin a good thing. If these animals were your livlihood they should have been taken better care of. Like possibly you could have had 3 horses trade off so their work hours were shorter. And watch the weight limits. Horses are fabulous animals and don’t deserve to be treated anything other than the best. You folks were greedy and put the most important part of your business at the back of the line. You are the ones who messed up. Live with it.
Lets just all hope and pray that these innocent, voiceless horses don’t get sold to the vile kill buyers by their so-called owners, who always profess to ‘loving their horses’ Yea right, lets make sure the horses are either retired to sanctuaries or sold to DECENT. LOVING new owners.
Lets just all hope and pray that these innocent, voiceless horses don’t get sold to the vile kill buyers by their so-called owners, who always profess to ‘loving their horses’ Yea right, lets make sure the horses are either retired to sanctuaries or sold to DECENT. LOVING new owners.
YIPPIE! So, when does DeBlasio and the NYC council keep their promise to ban them and free the poor horses.
Warren Wilhelm (DiBlasio’s real name) doesn’t believe in keeping his word.
Old family tradition.
Most people who make money with animals do not care for the animals that they are using to make the money with. They should all be put out of business.
This is great news and a win for animals as horses are not always taking care of and always working pulling these carriages on pavement where their hooves get damaged and hurt.
Hooray for Chicago. If the carriage operators cannot do the right thing by the horses, then the City Council can. I applaud the Council’s decision and I hope that there is ordinance put in place to prohibit it in the future so that a new Council cannot return to the barbarism of killing the horses. Profit is the motivator, obviously, and unscrupulous operators should not be allowed to conduct such hateful operations.
Not before time! I hope these horses are going to be allowed to enjoy a happy retirement.
moche
I was always frightened these poor animals would be hit by a car 🐴🐎❤❤❤
Good ! Let’s hope these horses can now enjoy a much deserved rest.
Well Done!
Bravo to the city of Chicago! I am proud of you and your decision to treat horses humanely!
Very sad day that city people can’t experience working animals. What I don’t understand about animal rights is the elimination of working animals, like they need to be also wiped out?
Working animals are alive & well in the city!! Many city and suburban people experience working animals frequently. There are guide dogs for the blind, therapy dogs for many ailments such as: PTSD, autism, cerebral palsy, detection of diseases, and the list goes on and on. They are not as common, but I have seen therapy cats and therapy bunnies in addition to therapy dogs that visit children and adults in hospitals & nursing homes. (Now that COVID19 is on the scene, therapy animals do not make their rotations, but it used to be commonplace.) Working animals are far from wiped out for city people.
Great comment and so true. Way to go to tell this animal hater off.
Wow,that’s wonderful news. But 334 citations in 2017 from those that you knew for a long time were just looking for profit and not the welfare of the horses? How come so long to finally feel frustrated with those imbecilic greedy punks? Never the less, its still great news for what seem to be endless stories of horror and sadness in a world of animal cruelty these days.
That is wonderful news! These poor animals suffer in all kinds of weather and are treated so poorly.
OH, so they don’t have TV and heated living rooms, they are working animals. Live in Scotland and Iceland and get around just fine.
Barb: The horses pulling carriages in Chicago have been abused. Some are not given water during their “shift” and I have seen summer days in Chicago where it reaches 105 degrees Fahrenheit. Horses have collapsed, etc. I imagine that idyllic towns Scotland & Iceland have far less congestion; buses, automobiles & heavy truck traffic than the areas where the horses in Chicago are forced to drag tourists around for profit. Your sarcastic comments are way off the mark. I am proud of the legislators for their decision! BRAVO!!
Great comment and so true. Way to go to tell this animal hater off.
YAY!!! LET’S GET ALL HORSE DRAWN CARRIAGE TO END NATIONWIDE!!! THESE MAJESTIC HORSES DESERVE BETTER, IT IS 2020, NOT 1920…
Good