If you’ve ever walked around a big city or even some small tourist towns before, you may have seen horses pulling a carriage with people in it. Horses are pretty awesome animals—they’re strong, smart, and loving. But do you know what’s not awesome? Horses suffer when they’re used to pull carriages. Here are eight reasons why horse-drawn carriages are wrong:
This includes the freezing cold and stifling heat. Some horses have even died from heatstroke.
Horses are extremely sensitive to loud noises and unexpected sounds. They don’t belong on city streets.
In 2019 in Savannah, Georgia, seven people were taken to the hospital with injuries after a horse was scared by construction noise, galloped out of control, and fell.
In 2021 in Charleston, South Carolina, a carriage was struck by a truck, causing the frightened horse pulling it to take off running. Two passengers were taken to the hospital.
This means that local animal-control officials are in charge of keeping them safe. But many of them don’t have the time to watch the horse-drawn carriages to make sure that the horses are being treated well.
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Want to help these wonderful animals? You can! Never ride in a horse-drawn carriage—and tell your friends and family why they shouldn’t, either.
Under 13? Ask your parents bee-fore you continue!