Clare Weeden, a senior lecturer in tourism and marketing at the University of Brighton, performed an analysis of Philadelphia tourism in 2020, focusing on the city’s controversial horse-drawn carriages. She concluded that “Resident and tourist awareness of animal welfare means that one day very soon, carriage horses."
PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER | JAN 2, 2022
Horses do not belong on 21st-century city streets. Seems like a
no-brainer, but in actuality, many 2,000-pound horses weave through
busy Philadelphia traffic every day, to the peril of themselves and
all the pedestrians, motorists, and cyclists surrounding them.
Horse-drawn carriages were historically the prime mover of people
and goods. There was no other option until the internal combustion
engine became popularized a century ago and horse-drawn carriages
were replaced by automobiles. Their replacement was driven not only
by new technology, but also by evolving cultural values that
emphasized efficiency, sanitation, safety, and animal welfare.
After 50 years of virtually horse-less streets, horse-drawn
carriages were reintroduced in Philadelphia during the U.S.
Bicentennial in 1976 as a tourist attraction. This form of
entertainment held an appeal for some tourists, families, and
romantics but was controversial from the start and has fallen out of
favor in recent years.
The animal welfare problems caused by this practice are serious.
Some of these were described by Holly Cheever, a member of the
leadership council at the Humane Society Veterinary Medical
Association, in a letter to City Councilmember Mark Squilla
expressing support for a legislative ban on horse-drawn carriages in
Philadelphia. Carriage horses experience: respiratory impairment
resulting from the horses constantly working nose-to-tailpipe;
lameness due to the horses’ excessive pounding on paved city
surfaces; and heat prostration during extreme temperatures.
Public safety is threatened by horse-drawn carriages. Pedestrians,
cyclists, and motorists must share the roads with horses, animals
with a highly developed flight drive triggered when startled by an
unexpected or threatening stimulus, prompting them to bolt
immediately, and resulting in serious accidents. Such collisions
have occurred in Philadelphia, and happen regularly in cities that
allow the use of horse-drawn carriages. The risk of accidents is
only increased by the fact that the horse-drawn carriages often
operate in bike lanes.
Philadelphia’s horse-drawn carriage industry has been the subject of
academic research projects. A group of doctoral students from the
Thomas Jefferson University Strategic Leadership and Complex Systems
Leadership programs performed a case study last year, which
concluded that as awareness of the problems associated with
horse-drawn carriages increases, demand for horse carriage rides
will decrease, creating an unprofitable and unsustainable business.
The Jefferson study emphasized market trends, particularly the
animal welfare concerns of Millennials — the generation that travels
the most and is most likely to spend more money on vacations — and
Gen Zers. Eighty-six percent of 18- to 29-year-olds are willing to
spend more on their travel if it means the experiences are
completely ethical. Tour companies are jumping to respond to such
demand by developing animal-friendly policies, such as TripAdvisor,
which amended its 2016 policy to “no longer book attractions where
animals were forced into unnatural situations for entertainment
purposes.”
Clare Weeden, a senior lecturer in tourism and marketing at the
University of Brighton, performed an analysis of Philadelphia
tourism in 2020, focusing on the city’s controversial horse-drawn
carriages. She concluded that “Resident and tourist awareness of
animal welfare means that one day very soon, carriage horses’
existence as part of a commercialized tourism product will become
unacceptable for most people.” Dr. Weeden noted that Philadelphia
has the opportunity to become a leader in “Responsible Tourism,”
setting the standard in tourism market differentiation by promoting
a special concern for environmental and animal welfare issues.
As bans on horse-drawn carriages continue to be enacted in cities
around the world — including Chicago, Salt Lake City, Montreal,
Mumbai, and Amsterdam — electric horseless carriages (e-carriages)
are increasingly taking their place. Similar in appearance to
18th-century horse carriages, e-carriages are battery-powered, and
offer riders both a historical experience and a cruelty-free
activity.
A ban on horse-drawn carriages will require political will. Many
concerned citizens have been encouraging Councilmember Squilla, in
whose district the carriages operate, to introduce legislation to
ban this practice, and urging Councilmember Kathy Gilmore Richardson
to include a ban on horse-drawn carriages in the comprehensive road
safety legislation that the Environment Committee Transportation
Subgroup she leads is discussing.
Horses don’t belong on 21st-century city streets. Just as was the
case a century ago, new technology and evolving cultural values are
driving a shift that can and must eliminate the use of horse-drawn
carriages on Philadelphia streets — once and for all.
Janet White is founder and director of Carriage Horse Freedom, a solution-oriented animal advocacy organization that is working to ensure a legislative ban on horse-drawn carriages in Philadelphia while simultaneously promoting their replacement with electric horseless carriages.