It scares me that horse carriage rides are still legal and also that more people don’t see this as animal cruelty? People associate horse carriage rides as something fun and romantic – it’s not. For me, it’s insane that animals are exploited or used for human entertainment and work.
Unfortunately, this is something normal in our society, and the media don’t even bother to talk about animal cruelty in general. I know that it’s hard to figure out what’s right or wrong when you have been taught that this is ok towards horses. You see these animals in fairytale princess movies, in almost every capital and also all royalties sitting in one while attending to important events. It’s no wonder we don’t see horse carriage rides as something bad, but instead as something luxurious and fairytale like.
Do you still think that horse carriage rides are something you want to do in life? Then you should think again and read this article about why you never should go for a horse carriage ride.
Table of Contents
Horses are meant to run free – not to be stuck in traffic
Animals are not supposed to be stuck in traffic. I don’t think that I only speak for myself when I say that horses should run free out in nature. To constant be in traffic, and noisy environments are not good for the horses. Horses are animals that get easily scared, and they don’t like to be in urban environments.
The carriage is causing chafing and discomfort
Imagine how it would feel like to have carriage equipment around your body and a bridle in your mouth day in and day out for the rest of your life. If someone did this towards a human’s will, people would call it slavery and torture. But towards animals it’s ok?
This causes the horses much discomfort and also chafing from the carriage. When looking at the horses, you can see how miserable and uncomfortable they are while waiting for another group of lazy tourists.
Injuries and fatal accidents occur
As I mentioned before, horses don’t like to be in urban environments and especially not in the middle of traffic with honking cars. Since the horses easily get scared, it’s not unusual that accidents occur while a horse starts to panic.
Besides that, it can also happen that reckless drivers run into the poor animals, who’s forced to stand on the street without a single chance to escape.
The horse’s lungs get damaged by the gasses
Horses shouldn’t be stuck in traffic – they don’t feel comfortable, and their lungs don’t cope well with all the gasses that they inhale. Some studies have shown it’s common that carriage horses get more cancer than horses that live in the wild. In many cases, the carriage horses get lungs that look similar to smokers.
Imagine 9 hours a day, every day for the rest of your life inhaling the gas from cars. It’s not healthy.
They’re not meant to carry around your lazy ass all day
How would you feel about carrying around a heavy carriage with people all day? Seriously, horses are not supposed to carry around your lazy ass all day!
Take the local transportation, take a cab or why not use your own legs since its good with some exercise? Do not use animals as transportation – it’s wrong.
This is the “home sweet home” for the carriage horses
If you think that the carriage horses get to go home to a large green field after a long day of work? You have to think again. After working in town all day the horses are transported to their small stables where they don’t have enough space to sleep comfortably.
Once again – imagine working all day, every day, dragging around heavy tourists in an unhealthy environment and then arrive at your ”home” where you even can’t rest comfortably?
No, no and no. Horse carriage is definitely, not romantic!
Do you think torture is romantic? No, I don’t believe so. Just because all movies portrays horse carriage as something romantic, it doesn’t mean it’s true in reality.
If you ask me; Romance is all about love – and if an animal gets hurt, then it’s not romantic.
This is what happens if they don’t do their ”job” properly…
Did you know that the horses get whipped and are mistreated if they don’t do their ”job” properly? First of all, this is not a ”job” – it’s slavery since the horses don’t have a choice of their own. They are forced to work every day.
Seriously? It’s 2016 – we know better than this. If it’s wrong towards humans, it’s wrong towards animals too. Animals do also have feeling and a life that they want to live.
When they’re too old and exhausted – they’re sent to the slaughterhouse
Not even when the horses retire they can enjoy their freedom and relax on a field of green grass. Usually, they’re sent directly to the slaughterhouse or sold via auction.
Horses deserve freedom and not slavery
Don’t you agree when I say that all animals deserve something better than being slaves to humans? Just because we have the power to enslave animals by weapons, it doesn’t mean that it’s okay to do it.
Once again, it’s 2016. It was a long time ago since the law forbade slavery among humans – isn’t it time to do the same for animals? The animals cruelty have to come to an end, and it’s now.
What you can do to help the animals
- Spread this article on social media
- Don’t support horse carriage rides
- Inform your friends and family about this topic
- Write to local authorities where you see this happen. If we stand together, we can stop this kind of animal cruelty.
- Give your support to animal organizations
I am in Cartagena Colombia . I planned to have a horse ride , but when I saw that horses were running the hot weather . Suddenly my heart broke . They work from morning until 11pm everyday . Poor horses!