By Jessica Checkland
The injury of two horses in Melbourne’s CBD last week has re-lit the spark of public debate and the protest on horse-drawn carriages. We’ve narrowed down the most realistic for and against arguments for you:
FOR:
Profitable: It’s a way for people to make money and allows families to earn an income. It benefits the locality and carriage rides are good for tourism. Owners of the horses are supporting the community by attracting tourist revenue.
Sustainable: Animal energy is renewable and is used for transport. Animal waste can be used as an energy source too. Horse-drawn carriages are eco-friendly and better for the environment. This mode of transport reduces dangerous gas emissions (unlike motor vehicles).
Tradition: Horse-drawn carriages have been used all over the world for centuries. They’re a reliable mode of transportation often bred for this reason as domesticated animals. They receive the training for the job and are paid by way of feed, healthcare, safety, and love.
Hypersensitivity: People are over-reacting and being too sensitive. If you think it’s cruel, don’t ride them. Banning horses from pulling carriages is like banning all other practices which use animals for a purpose: bee keeping, police horses, police dogs, cattle, etc.
AGAINST:
Abuse: An animal suffering for human entertainment is unacceptable. Animals are here with us, not for us. They are living creatures and we should not be the ones to decide how they live. We need to stop causing pain and suffering for our own pleasure; it’s enslavement. Would YOU rather be free to roam or forced to work?
Outdated: Tradition is no excuse for abuse, and does not make it morally acceptable. Horse-drawn carriages are unnecessary with the range of transport services available in this modern day. If your ideal is to be environmentally friendly, ride a bike or walk. It’s 2019, not 1919.
Over-worked: Horses in the industry are exposed to the sun for long periods of time, sometimes without adequate shade or water supplies. Some would argue most carriage operators do not give horses a reasonable amount of time to rest. They inhale CO2 and other toxic fumes and don’t always get the fresh air they need, resulting in respiratory conditions.
Traffic: Horses don’t belong in the city. They are overstimulated in a stressful environment, becoming traumatized over the loud noises and honking cars. In busy traffic, most carriage owners opt to use the bike lanes, which causes collisions and altercations with cyclists. Carriages are a hazard to cyclists and trams.
The protest group “Melbourne Against Horse-Drawn Carriages” has taken to social media, demanding that the City of Melbourne ban horse-drawn carriages. In contrast, a poll conducted by ABC Melbourne has shown 49.5% of voters are in support of banning the horse-drawn carriages, while the remaining 50.3% voted “no” for the ban.
Maybe it isn’t a matter of abolishing the horse-drawn carriages indefinitely, but instead raising standards to ensure the practice is ethically and morally correct for the people and for the horses.
Poll results: https://www.facebook.com/abcmelbourne
