Victoria Animal News Animal news for Victoria and across B.C.
Related Articles
What really happened
Updated with video
Paula Casey was visiting Victoria from Seattle on May 5th when all of a sudden she witnessed a terrible scene unfold in front of her.
“A horse pulling the trolley dropped dead or at least looked like it at the stop sign of Dallas and the cruise terminal roadway. The horse was not moving lying on it’s side when it then pulled the horse it was attached to down too. It was shocking and traumatic. I only looked for about 30 seconds and thought I would be sick.”
Another tourist who witnessed the incident made the following observation, “The carriage stopped at the top of the hill. When they went to go, they lost traction and the one on the left (from behind) fell and took the other with him. At that point the large T shaft was between them and intertwined with horses legs and had them pinned down. When removing the T shaft one point of the T was about to jab into left horses belly as the horse jolted but the men were able to keep the horse down and was able to maneuver it from the legs and safely remove it from between them.”
Horses working in the carriage industry slipping and risking injury in Victoria has been documented previously. During the free horse-drawn trolley tours sponsored by the Downtown Victoria Business Association, animal advocates from the Victoria Horse Alliance witnessed trolleys regularly being overloaded and the horses slipping on the pavement multiple times. Several bylaw infractions were filed with the city of Victoria bylaw department. Even after the complaints were filed, no change was seen in the behaviour of the carriage operators.
Jordan Reichert of the Victoria Horse Alliance made the following statement:
“We know the carriage operators in Victoria have a history of overloading trolleys when conducting their business exploiting these animals. This in turn endangers the horses, the public, and the people visiting the city. Why anyone would choose to pay outrageous prices to be pulled around by a horse in a perfectly walkable and beautiful city is beyond me.”
City pulling carriages
Another concerned citizen Joanne Thibault, as well as Ms. Casey, reported their concerns about the incident to Mayor Lisa Helps and received the following response which they shared with Victoria Animal News. Ms. Thibault made the following comment, “I received this via the Mayor’s office too. I assume it came from Victoria Carriage Company though.”
“Chris” and “Matt” are 18 year old Clydesdale cross horses that have been working for Victoria Carriage Tours for 12 years. They are highly experienced and enjoy their jobs. Tonight, as they started their working season for 2018, Matt took a wrong step and impeded Chris’s movement, causing him to come off balance. Both horses fell to the ground, where they remained calm and waited for their handlers to remove their harness. Once they were given the ok from their team, the horses easily stood and walked back to their staging area.”
It is company policy to thoroughly inspect every horse if there is an incident. Neither horse was injured and displayed no soreness: and both horses are now home with their herd. They are expected to return to work within two days.
Onlookers from the cruise ship recognized the horses’ impeccable training that enabled them to remain calm, and expressed that they were impressed by the Victoria Carriage Tours team for handling the situation in an efficient and professional manner, clearly with the care of the horses at the forefront of their minds.”
Victoria Animal News reached out to mayor Helps for a response and she made the following statement:
“I got the response from Charlayne who got it from the carriage companies. This was their public statement. I was pretty sure I made that clear in the two people I sent emails to. I had no first hand knowledge of the event nor of what the proper protocols are when a horse falls down.”
Despite ongoing animal welfare and public safety concerns, on April 26th, the city of Victoria renewed the lease agreement with the carriage operators for the spaces they use at the corner of Menzies and Belleville St for 5 years. The motion was put forward by Councillor Charlayne Thornton-Joe and was passed seven in favour, two opposed.
Councillor Ben Isitt, who voted against renewing the lease agreement said, “This incident demonstrates the risk to these animals and the need to phase-out commercial horse-drawn carriage operations on City of Victoria streets.”
Victoria Animal News
Candace Park
Please,please save the horses from this drudgery.
In this day and age we do not need to put these magnificent horses at risk to amuse and entertain tourists. I realize that it’s all about the money and not the welfare of the horses. I agree that this practise needs to stop
They are part of our city culture but it’s time has come. Let’s end this now.
No more horse drawn carriages.
This not a carriage it is a bus. It is not right. They need to keep it simple to a small buggy or stop. It is greed.
still using commercial horse drawn carriages is stupid..why?? its a novelty not a need and needs to be banned from the city,small private carriages in rural communities I think is fine but in city is cruel.
Completely agree, there are better ways to cash in on tourism than Russian circus-style entertainment.
Whether the company thinks these majestic animals ‘enjoy’ their ‘work’ is not the point. They are a working horse breed but this business in not in their best interest. The city traffic, noise and pollution is not a good or natural environment for them. I agree it is past time to let go of this tourist attraction no matter how well trained the carriage drivers may be. Kudos to the councillors who voted in favour of not using these horses in this way.
I think we should attach a trolley to Lisa Helps and have her take the tax payers for free rides on all of her amazing bike lanes.
I once worked for all the SAD horse tour company’s in Victoria BC and after 3 years I quit .
Couldn’t stand the mistreatment of the gentle giants .
That tour trolley was never designed for 2 horses to pull ,it needs 4 horses and they know it.
It was built by non horsemen or proper plans.Just look at the tires for instance, way to small .That is why carriages have large lite wagon wheels etc.
Qualified horse people need only apply.
Victoria has none!!!
I can’t even begin to say how upsetting this is. Why would anyone expose those horses to such treatment, pretending “they enjoy their jobs”?
I often walk or drive at the corner of Belleville and Menzies, and I see how unhappy those overworked animals are. I was there TODAY, and a tourist trying to take a close up of the horse was CLEARLY upsetting the animal; no one seemed to be aware!
Horse-drawn carriages should be banished. Respect these amazing animals!
This is using animals for profit and it must stop. This accident shows the horses are at risk.
I’m absolutely appalled that Victoria is still using these horses as tourist locomotives. These horses are walking on hard pavement and cement in the city and their hooves are not made for that. Also the HEAT OF PAVEMENT IN THE SUMMER IS ABSOLUTELY ANIMAL ABUSE. NO ANIMAL SHOULD HAVE TO WALK ON HOT PAVEMENT, PULLING AN OVERLOADED WAGON.
These poor horse fell after climbing a hill with an OVERLOADED WAGON!!! “THEY LOST THEIR FOOTING BECAUSE OF EXHAUSTION!!!!
There should not just be a bylaw about overloading a wagon. THIS HORSE ABUSE SYSTEM NEEDS TO BE “”STOPPED” and let the humans use their own feet to walk around the tourist area of Victoria.
IF I LIVED IN VICTORIA, ID BE BLOCKING THESE WAGONS FROM BEING FILLED BY IDIOT TOURISTS THAT CARE AS LITTLE ABOUT THE HORSES AS THE OWNERS AND THE CITY OF VICTORIA.
SHAME ON ALL OF YOU!!
I visit the island now and then but don’t go to Victoria for 2 reasons….1… The city dumps raw sewage into our ocean. 2…they allow animal abuse on their streets.
SHAME!!!!
Everyone is talking about this needs to be stopped. Then start with stopping it. Stop setting back ,writing your comments and get something done!
Victoria stop putting money before these poor animals who have a heart and soul just like you!
When will the human race wake up and evolve? I am sickened and saddened by the constant abuse of animals for profit in this world. The carriage horse industry needs to go away completely. There are incidents every day in city after city. The Mayor of Victoria and her cohorts who voted her way are heartless criminals and don’t deserve their positions. It’s time the population starts voting for honest, compassionate officials. The power and corruption is overwhelming. Poor horses have been tortured and abused for centuries. It’s time it ended.
Are these City of Victoria officials nuts???
These horses have no horse shoes on!!!!!
How in hell do you expect these horses to get a grip on the road?? The wagons are overloaded….this is a case of blainted abuse on these horses. It doesn’t take a genius to see these animals are being forced to haul hundreds of pounds up these hills and when the heat of the summer comes its going to make it so much worse. These animals shouldn’t even be on pavement. Shut this rides down now. I will be filing a complaint in the morning, this is going to stop!!!
It’s completely DISTURBING that Canada still lags behind so many other countries in regards to having meaningful Animal Welfare Protect Legislation put in place. The exploitation of these precious horses is out & out APPALLING!!! I’ve witnessed the Victoria horse drawn carriages & trollies on several occasions, which always stirs up a sense of both sadness & anger within me…as the horses are clearly NOT at all happy. It’s especially upsetting to see them having to carry out their forced duties on a hot summers day, walking on the hot pavement amidst the noise hustle & bustle, continuously breathing in air-polution…is just plain wrong, which = animal ABUSE. This SHAMEFUL animal tourist attraction needs to be permanently BANNED once & for all!!!
How do we start a petition to end this abuse to the horses? There’s hundreds of different ways tourists can get around this city…and if it means we lose a handful of tourists because of their lazyness to use another form of transportation then so be it…they go visit Drumheller for all I care!!
There’s also the fact that there is dozen’s of pedicabs, hop on hop off busses and taxi’s that all give tours if needed no need for horses exempt the novalty of it.
I agree with Jim Stewart driving down town Victoria is a nightmare now with all of these bike lanes….accidents waiting to happen….and I agree with what everyone is saying on here 18 years old come on let them enjoy a few years of freedom and just be horses…….
NO MORE HORSE RIDES……EVER AGAIN.
TIME’S UP for these horses to be used and abused in this way. When are we going to learn that animals were not put on this earth solely to fulfil our hunger, pleasure and entertainment?