The horse-drawn carriages in downtown Salt Lake City are run by a cooperative of three companies, Carriage For Hire, AAA Carriage, and Carriage Connection. They are the largest carriage company in the United States.

The horses run every day except Thanksgiving. Under conditions that constitute a safety hazard (such as a tornado or extreme storm), the carriages won't run. They run six hour shifts at a time.

Their veterinarian is Clay Cannon at Stone Ridge Veterinary Clinic (11840 S. 1381 W., Riverton, 254-4840). Animal Control conducts very rigorous tests of the horses, which work well into their thirties. The horses they use are rejects from the competitive horse pulling sport.

Our Side:

First and foremost, horses are not ours to do with as we please. We have no more any right to force a horse to pull a carriage then we have the right to force a human to pull something heavy against their will.

Secondly, traffic presents both a psychologically and physically damaging situation for the horses. The fumes they breath every day puts the horse into the same situation as though they were a human being, smoking cigarettes their entire life. The only difference is, the horses are forced to inhale the noxious fumes.

Read PeTA's web page for more information about the problems of horse-drawn carriages: Carriage Horses: Don't Get Taken For A Ride.

Their Side:

The feet and shoes of the horses are very well cared for, according to the company. They say that the horses are cared for much better then the average person's back yard horse. They get full time feed - no feed time. Because of the type of work they perform, they have "fantastic cardio-vascular systems." If these big draft horses don't pull carriages, they'll be put down, according to the carriage company. They say that the horses have a short life expectancy because of being competitive pullers.

They would love to answer questions. Call them up at 363-8687 and ask for Annette.