Collapse of horse in Old Montreal renews calls for ban on calèches
MONTREAL — Animal-welfare groups have renewed their calls for a ban on horse-drawn carriages in Montreal after another horse collapsed in the street over the long weekend.
The animal was found lying on its side Monday in front of a square in Old Montreal that is popular with tourists.
Witnesses said the horse was able to get back on its feet after about 10 minutes.
The City of Montreal recently adopted new rules to protect horses working in the city’s calèche industry.
Last year, Mayor Denis Coderre tried to place a one-year moratorium on the popular tourist draw after several accidents involving calèche horses were caught on camera.
That decision was later reversed after a judge ruled the carriages should be allowed to continue operating.
But Mirella Colalillo, a spokeswoman for a group opposed to calèche horses, said Tuesday the animal that collapsed should not even have been working.
“We’ve seen her pulling carriages loaded with people all summer, and she’s very skinny,” said Colalillo of the Anti-Calèche Defence Coalition.
“She’s an old horse that needs to be retired.”
A city official said in an email that the horse was 15 years old and had no previous problems with her health. A veterinarian said the animal was overweight in 2016, but the problem was corrected this year and she was in good health.
Coderre told reporters Tuesday he’s asked for a report into the incident, stressing he didn’t think the heat had anything to do with the collapse.
“Initial reports from veterinarians say there could have been extreme fatigue,” he said.
But the mayor added the horse won’t be back in action until he has had a look at the report.
Montreal isn’t the only city dealing with tough questions on the safety and welfare of carriage horses.
A petition to ban calèches in Quebec City collected more than 36,700 signatures after two recent incidents involving its horses.
Activists in Victoria also started a petition last year to ban carriage rides.
In March 2016, Victoria Carriage Tours owner Katarina Gallagher told city council that the petition’s “unfounded” and “vague” accusations about inadequate care and reckless driving were baseless and amounted to fear mongering.