The BC SPCA has added its voice to a chorus calling for a ban on horse-drawn carriage tours in Victoria in a letter addressed to city council.
The letter was written in response to an incident on May 4 at Ogden Point in which two horses fell to the ground after their carriage hit a nearby tour bus.
Both horses were uninjured by the incident, but it inspired a storm of controversy across social media after video of the aftermath went viral.
BC SPCA points to apparent lack of safety procedures
In the letter, Craig Daniell BC SPCA Chief Executive Officer, writes that video footage of the event was “alarming” and demonstrates handlers “were not adequately trained in emergency procedures, nor in control of a situation which posed a serious threat to public safety and the animals’ welfare.”
Daniell mentions members of the public pulling at the head and neck of both horses, grabbing on the tail of one horse, and walking around and behind the legs of both as causes for concern.
Bettina Bobsien, a veterinarian and equine specialist quoted in the letter, says that video of the incident shows an “apparent lack of emergency training regarding what to do once the horses were on the ground.”
“The harnesses should have been removed immediately, not after the horses had been struggling for at least five minutes on the pavement. Helpers were not directed to stay away from the leg side of the down horses, putting them at significant risk of injury,” she added.
Daniell also says that the video contradicts statements from Victoria Carriage Tours. “The company initially indicated both horses remained calm throughout and patiently waited for handlers to remove their harnesses. However, the footage shows this to be untrue.”
Ultimately, Daniell writes that the BC SPCA recommends two courses of action to city council:
- that it prohibits the operation of horse-drawn vehicles on Victoria’s streets, and if tours should continue, “they should only take place in the safer park environment to reduce dangers to public safety and animal welfare;” and,
- that horse-drawn vehicles be limited to those which only require one horse to operate.
The SPCA also recommends that standard operating procedures and emergency management plans be established, and that touring companies be required to have both in place in order to be licensed.
Council to decide next steps at this week’s meeting
City council will vote on whether or not it will request staff to report back on any advice they would need to receive to consider the BC SPCA’s recommendations on Thursday’s committee meeting.
A spokesperson for Victoria Carriage Tours told CFAX 1070 that nothing like the May 4 incident had ever happened before, and that they have since changed procedures to ensure it doesn’t happen again.
UPDATE: In a statement to Victoria Buzz, Victoria Carriage Tours owner Tom Walker said that the video does not tell the whole story.
“Our ground staff attending the horses assessed the situation, engaged help from horse-experienced passengers, and proceeded slowly to take off the harness which then allowed the horses to get up on their own,” he said.
Walker said that Victoria Carriage Tours has a comprehensive policy and procedures manual that has been in place for 15 years and is revised as needed with instructions on how to handle incidents.
Since May 4, Walker says Victoria Carriage Tours has added instructions to take the harness off the horses right away in the case of an accident, and to never travel the route near Ogden Point without flaggers.
“As with any business you are always learning from situations and experience. We can always do better,” he said.
