“Oh my God. There's a baby on there," one witness screamed as she watched in horror as an out of control horse-pulled carriage jetted down the St. Louis Riverfront. The scared passengers had to throw themselves off the carriage and onto the concrete in order to avoid crashing into a nearby truck. Luckily the two riders in this case only ended up with a few cuts and bruises, but it could have been much worse.
While horse rides may seem fun, for the horse, they are anything but. Horses are forced to weave in and out of constant city traffic, bombarded by car horns and - in many American cities - must work in terrible conditions.
The story of Romeo the horse and the wild ride is only the latest example of just how dangerous and cruel horse carriage rides can be. Horses have minds of their own, and can scare without warning leaving their handler and the passengers unable to do anything but hold on and hope for the best.
St. Louis Alderman Joe Vacarro says there is definitely a need for more restrictions on carriage rides in St. Louis, but in reality, the city should ban it outright. Let’s tell Alderman Vacarro to go a step further ask Mayor Lyda Krewson to end carriage rides in the Gateway City.
