The BC SPCA wants Victoria council to ban horse-drawn carriages from city streets and limit their operations to a B次元官网网址渟afer park environment.B次元官网网址�
In a letter to council to be discussed at committee of the whole this Thursday (June 7), the organization cites a May 4 incident at Ogden Point, where two horses used by Victoria Carriage Tours accidentally fell to the ground when their trolley came in contact with a bus. The letter states that the horses were B次元官网网址渋n significant stress for more than five minutes.B次元官网网址�
A video of the incident caused public alarm, with BC SPCA and animal activists saying workers were not properly trained to handle the situation, as they didnB次元官网网址檛 immediately remove the harnesses impeding the horsesB次元官网网址� mobility.
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B次元官网网址淭he operator also failed to disclose the length of time it took handlers to adequately assess the situation, remove the harnesses, and successfully help the horses to their feet,B次元官网网址� the letter reads. B次元官网网址淚t is decidedly troubling that Victoria Carriage Tours chose to inappropriately downplay a serious incident which put the public at risk.B次元官网网址�
The BC SPCA recommends that the operation of horse-drawn vehicles on B次元官网网址渢raffic-congestedB次元官网网址� city streets be prohibited to B次元官网网址渕itigate the significant risks,B次元官网网址� with tours limited to quiet areas around parks.
B次元官网网址淲e have gone above and beyond The City of Victoria and SPCA oversight and regulations. I am concerned with the recommendations to prohibit trolley teams in Victoria. Such measures would take away opportunity to assist in training new horses how to do the job,B次元官网网址� said Victoria Carriage Tours in a written statement.
B次元官网网址淲hether it is a seasoned horse or younger one having a team mate thru [sic.] the streets builds confidence and familiarity giving the horse tools for the job so when they transition to single carriage we have a well balanced happy safe horse : as we can attest to with zero horses or human ever harmed in 15 years. This one incident cannot reflect the whole, not with horses.B次元官网网址�
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Victoria Carriage Tours also said that the Ogden Point incident was an anomaly in their 15-year business, and that their horses were unharmed. They implemented two new policies after reviewing the video, including a rule to immediately remove the harnesses in the case of a fall, and to never travel that route without a flagger.
Tally-Ho Tours is the other carriage tour company in Victoria, and while it wasnB次元官网网址檛 involved in the Ogden Point Incident, any changes to the industry would strongly affect its business.
B次元官网网址淭he carriage industry in Victoria has a strong tradition of working cooperatively with the BC SPCA and the City of Victoria regarding oversight and regulation of our industry,B次元官网网址� The Tally-Ho company said in a written statement. B次元官网网址淲e are confused how safety recommendations suddenly jump to a statement that that potentially puts our business at risk.B次元官网网址�
It was further said in the statement that Tally-Ho follows a series of guidelines found in a 70-page manual, which was provided to City Councillor Charlayne Thornton-Joe for the 2018 season. They add that the industryB次元官网网址檚 safety record is B次元官网网址渙utstandingB次元官网网址� citing a 0.00001 per cent incident rate over the last 20 years.
The BC SPCA also recommends limiting such vehicles to one-horse carriages, a move that would essentially ban trolleys that require two horses. B次元官网网址淭he introduction of this condition would reduce public safety concerns and decrease the risk of injury to a horse should another incident occur.B次元官网网址�
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Additionally, BC SPCA recommends that the horse carriage industry establish standard operating procedures and emergency management plans for urgent situations; that they create a report form for carriage handlers to fill out after any incident, and that they require each operator to have an emergency kit for each vehicle including an extra halter, four traffic cones and first aid kits for both people and horses.
A motion to be discussed at this weekB次元官网网址檚 committee meeting asks for receipt of the correspondence and a request that City staff report back with advice on how best to consider the recommendations.
