Fort Worth Star-Telegram - January 23, 2024
Texas cities weigh bans on horse carriages. Will Fort Worth?
After longhorn cattle and a supposedly sleepy panther, horses may be the animal most synonymous with Fort Worth’s history and identity.
You’ll see horses every day of the week in the Fort Worth Stockyards. More than 3,000 horses were featured in this year’s Stock Show & Rodeo parade, including a horse-drawn carriage with Mayor Mattie Parker. And carriage rides are popular with tourists around downtown certain times of year.
But a growing number of U.S. cities are outlawing horse-drawn carriage rides or considering such a ban — including Dallas and San Antonio.
A leader in the push for a ban in Dallas is animal activist Gloria Raquel Carbajal. She began a petition to ban horse-drawn carriages there and has spent two years sharing videos of what she describes as animal abuse and traffic hazards. She has been gathering support among residents, and now the Dallas City Council will consider the issue this year.
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“Honestly, it would be Fort Worth because it’s in the area, it would only make sense to me to go to the nearest city,” Carbajal said. “The issue with the horse-drawn carriages is that they’re not being regulated.”
Not so, says Fort Worth council member Carlos Flores, whose district includes the Stockyards. Flores thinks the city’s regulations are up to par.
“Operators of horse-drawn carriages are issued permits by the city’s Ground Transportation Office. If concerns or complaints are made about an operator, they are investigated by Animal Care & Control. These are popular amenities in our historic, entertainment & cultural districts,” Flores said in a statement to the Star-Telegram.
Flores, who grew up around horses on a ranch, added that the carriages operate only in designated areas to ensure public safety “including the health and well-being of the animals.”
He also noted that horses are sheltered, watered and rested on extreme weather days.
“Horses and carriages will always have a place in Cowtown,” Flores said.
Council member Elizabeth Beck also believes in the importance and symbolism of horses to Fort Worth.
“Fort Worth is Cowtown, we have a strong Western culture here in the city, and I think that probably influences our residents’ opinions on horse-drawn carriages,” Beck said.
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