Debate sparked by horse-drawn carriage rides in Waterloo
WATERLOO — A debate has erupted on the UpTown Waterloo business association’s Facebook page over the horse-drawn trolley rides it offers during the holiday season.
In keeping with tradition, the UpTown Waterloo BIA has hired St. Jacobs Horse Drawn Tours to take people on rides through the core and Waterloo Park on the evenings of Nov. 30, Dec. 1, 7, and 14. The St. Jacobs company has been offering an assortment of tours for more than a decade, including maple syrup bush tours and Mennonite farm tours.
It has about 10 draft horses in its care and uses teams of two horses — with some horses weighing more than 2,000 pounds — to pull San Francisco-style trolleys, open wagons, buggies and sleighs, according to its website.
But this week a number of people took to the BIA’s event Facebook page to protest.
“We just feel at this point we don’t have any need to use animals in this way, for entertainment,” said Mo Markham, a local animal activist who also commented on the Facebook page.
“They have the right (to) lead their own lives and I don’t think they would choose to be pulling heavy loads the way that they are in this industry.”
The BIA responded on Facebook with a statement supporting St. Jacobs Horse Drawn Tours and the care it provides to horses used to pull the trolleys.
“We do know that St. Jacobs Horse Drawn Tours takes incredibly good care of their livestock, and we trust their expertise in regard to the treatment of the horses. They are in regular contact with the local SPCA and are in good standing with them; they frequently seek out recommendations and visits from the SPCA. We will continue to be vigilant in screening our event partners and their treatment of animals for future events,” The BIA said.
While there were more comments against the use of the horses on the event Facebook page, there were some made in support of the holiday tradition.
The trolley rides are also very popular, said Tracy Van Kalsbeek, executive director of the BIA.
St. Jacobs Horse Drawn Tours owner Nathan Kuepfer said in an interview that the horses are well taken care of. He said some people have the misconception that the horses are worked for long hours — eight or more a day — but that’s not the case. He said his horses work about three to four hours at a time and then are back at the farm where they have shelter, food and a pasture to run in.
He added that the horses are in shape and are bred and trained to pull heavy loads much like an athlete would train.
Kuepfer encourages people to come out to the trolley rides and ask him questions about the horses and their care.
But Markham said motor vehicles and the exhaust fumes they emit are neither safe nor healthy for the animals.
Markham cited Montreal as an example. The city has committed to banning horsedrawn carriage rides by the end of 2019. The upcoming ban was again highlighted in media reports this week following the sudden death of a carriage horse on a street in Old Montreal. The cause of death has yet to be determined.
In an email Wednesday, the KitchenerWaterloo Humane Society said it will have an officer monitor the horse-pulled trolleys at the Waterloo holiday festivities to ensure the Standards of Care set out in the Ontario SPCA Act are being met.