Carriage rides rough on horse

Readers planning on a horse-drawn carriage ride this holiday season should reconsider. While it might seem romantic or whimsical, it is nothing short of torture for the horse.

Making these sensitive animals pull oversized loads like carriages is cruel. Horses are forced to toil in all weather extremes, dodge traffic, and pound the pavement all day long. They might develop respiratory ailments because they breathe in exhaust fumes, and they can suffer debilitating leg problems from walking on hard surfaces.

Horses are easily spooked and many animals and people have been seriously hurt, even killed, when a horse was frightened and panicked. Accidents have occurred in nearly every city that allows these rides with the carriages or horses being hit by impatient or careless drivers. Since there are no laws dictating the fate of old, injured, or no-longer-needed horses, owners can dispose of them in any way that they want. That means that sweet horse we just petted for giving us such a fun ride might soon be on its way to a slaughterhouse.

Readers who are as disappointed as I am that these cruel and antiquated practices occur should contact any venue offering rides, and ask that it discontinue them immediately. Then, readers should contact their legislators and ask that carriage rides be completely banned. Westerville