{"id":15949,"date":"2015-08-13T15:13:17","date_gmt":"2015-08-13T19:13:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/kb.webitgarage.ca\/montreal-spca-launches-new-campaign-downtown-montreal-is-no-place-for-horses\/"},"modified":"2018-06-11T22:26:25","modified_gmt":"2018-06-12T02:26:25","slug":"montreal-spca-launches-new-campaign-downtown-montreal-is-no-place-for-horses","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.spca.com\/en\/montreal-spca-launches-new-campaign-downtown-montreal-is-no-place-for-horses\/","title":{"rendered":"Montreal SPCA launches new campaign \u201cDowntown Montreal is no place for horses\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"

13\"Montreal_horse\"<\/a>Montreal, August 13, 2015<\/b> \u2013 The Montreal SPCA is announcing the launch of its new campaign \u201cDowntown Montreal is No Place for Horses\u201d<\/a> – which aims to raise awareness about the inherent suffering of carriage horses in Montreal and seeks to implement a phase out of the industry in our city. This Saturday, the City of Montreal will be celebrating the 350th anniversary of the Canadian horse and the use of carriage horses throughout those years, by parading nearly 30 carriage horses through the borough of Sud-Ouest in Montreal. The Montreal SPCA believes that this is the opportune time for our city to make the use of carriage horses a thing of the past and to phase-out this obsolete industry.<\/p>\n

The Montreal SPCA is extremely concerned about the welfare and safety of carriage horses in Montreal. In fact, we strongly condemn the use of carriages horses in urban environments.\u00a0Carriage horses in Montreal are often forced to work 9 or more hours per day 7 days a week, are subject to potential collisions with traffic, loud noises that can cause \u201cspooking\u201d (which can also endanger humans), extreme temperatures and years of walking on unnaturally hard surfaces which often causes lameness. Not to mention that the majority of the horses, when they are not working, are tied in filthy stalls where they have no opportunity to move around freely or engage in any other natural behaviors and that most of the horses when they can no longer be used to pull carriages, unless a horse rescue group is able to intervene, will be sent to auction where they are likely to be purchased by a \u201ckill buyer\u201d and sent to slaughter.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile the city has ordered a report on the health status of the carriage horses in Montreal, which concludes that the practice of using carriage horses in Montreal does not rise to the level of animal cruelty, the Montreal SPCA maintains that the use of carriage horses in Montreal causes immense suffering to these horses.\u201d\u00a0 said Alanna Devine, Director of Animal Advocacy at the Montreal SPCA. \u201cThe use of carriage horses in the city does not ensure for the basic welfare needs of these horses, as defined by the fundamental concept of the 5 freedoms<\/a>, which include freedom to engage in natural behaviors – such as spending time in a pasture and socializing with other horses, and freedom from fear and mental distress \u2013 which horses are forced to endure when working in loud, congested, traffic and construction filled streets\u201d.<\/p>\n

It is important to point out that the report commissioned by the city also mentioned that in 2012, when the city of Montreal began implementing inspections of the horses, that the horses were in poor condition and some suffered from recurring wounds and breathing problems. Further, incidents involving carriage horses urban environments continue to occur on a regular basis, with the latest accident happening last week in Quebec City, when a carriage horse collapsed from exhaustion<\/a>. In fact, every year we hear about many incidences involving carriage horses in Montreal \u2013 and this summer is definitely no exception. On July 14th<\/sup>, a carriage horse slipped and fell<\/a> on the corner of Notre-Dame West and Peel, and on July 29th<\/sup>, when the temperature (including the humidex factor) was well over 30 degrees, at least five horses were forced to work in Old Montreal in the extreme heat<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Montreal SPCA has been speaking out on behalf of the welfare of horses since 1869 and we will continue to encourage the city of Montreal to phase out this inhumane, unsafe and unnecessary industry in our city, and we invite the citizens of Montreal to join our campaign\u201d said Nicholas Gilman, Executive Director of the Montreal SPCA. \u201cHorse-drawn carriages are not a charming way for tourists to discover old Montreal \u2013 they are a subsidized form of animal cruelty, attracting negative reviews regarding our beautiful city.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n

Many world-class cities, such as London, Paris, Beijing, and Toronto, have already banned horse-drawn carriages. The Montreal SPCA believes it is time for Montreal to follow suit by phasing-out this antiquated, inhumane, and unsafe industry.<\/p>\n

Please join our campaign, and help us to an end to the suffering of carriage horses in Montreal by clicking here<\/a>:<\/p>\n