Carriages owner ‘frustrated’ by protests
At War for Animals Niagara says horses victims of ‘speciesism’
The owner of the company that conducts carriage rides in Niagara-on-the-Lake says an animal rights group that staged a recent protest outside the Prince of Wales Hotel bullied company employees and patrons.
“It’s frustrating, because they present themselves as peaceful protesters,” said Laura Sentineal of Sentineal Carriages, which has been running the rides in the Old Town for nearly three decades. “A lot of people are afraid they are going to do something to hurt one of the horses. They really harass staff and anyone who doesn’t agree with their viewpoint.”
She said one customer was so intimidated that she phoned police while on one of the company’s carriages that was being followed by protesters from At War for Animals Niagara (AWFAN).
But Adam Stirr, co-founder of the group, said Sentineal is off base.
“This is not factual at all,” he said, adding that the members of the group were following the carriages, but were doing so in silence.
“For some time, we were following the carriages silently on the sidewalk, as instructed by the police that we were allowed to do so. There were a number of instances where passengers from the carriages would initiate an exchange with us. We have since stopped the practice of following the carriages, because these exchanges are not beneficial to our cause, and could potentially cause a safety issue, which is unacceptable and counters our goals.”
Stirr said he had video evidence supporting his claim.
AWFAN, Stirr said, wants to see an end to speciesism, described as the assignment of different values, rights or special consideration to individuals solely on the basis of their species. Like many animal rights groups, AWFAN believes speciesism is a prejudice, just like racism or sexism.
“These animals are being exploited for human entertainment, and for the financial gain of those who have purchased them for this purpose,” he said. “We firmly believe that no animal should be bred or used for human benefit, no matter what the use is.”
But Sentineal said the group ignores the fact many of her horses have been rescued from death when they were purchased at the Ontario Livestock Exchange.
“Most go to slaughter,” she said. “They go to Europe for horse meat or they are used for dog food.”
The horses in their stable are all well cared for and in excellent health, Sentineal said, as she produced documents from Lincoln Veterinary Services saying, after examining them in April, that all “these horses are wellmanaged and in good care.”
She also took issue with complaints from AWFAN that the horses are being forced to work on hot pavement.
Sentineal said the asphalt temperature is a non-issue and provided a letter from farrier Mike Cryderman, who said: “Studies have been conducted where a hoof was subjected to extreme hot and cold conditions. It concluded that there was little to no heat transfer to any internal structure of the hoof. The foot has evolved a natural defence, which makes it a closed environment. Going as far as having a waxy coating, and allowing for contraction or expansion depending on moisture content.”
Karen Jones, a longtime friend of the Sentineal family, and whose daughter has worked as a driver for the Sentineals, has gone down to speak with AWFAN members during one of the protests.
“This all started a few weeks ago when a horse tripped,” Jones said. “The only time a horse goes down is if it trips or it is not being taken care of properly. These horses are taken care of properly.”
The Sentineal stable has 25 horses — all of whom are like family, Sentineal said — which are rotated in and out of duty in the old town and in Niagara Falls. She said horses employed to pull the carriages are bred for the kind of work they are doing.
“They’re bred to work a lot harder than they do here,” she said, adding that often times her charges are excited when it is time for them to go to work.
But Stirr said that is exactly what the problem is.
“What needs to happen is the breeding of these animals must be ended. It is not beneficial to them to be created specifically for human use. All use of animals must be ended. Just because something has been done for many years does not mean it is ethical or correct.”
But Sentineal said taking the horses away from what they like to do would not be good for the horses. She suggested there are other ways AWFAN could help.
“Rather than protest, why not rescue animals themselves?” she said.