The ban was overturned with a 4-5 vote! The carriage rides will stay (:

So every year around christmas time the city of Cincinnati offers horse drawn carriage rides. Welp the council is now voting to ban it entirely! Saying things like "it's dangerous" "horses shouldn't be on pavement" and I'm here to call bullshit. There's people that make a living soley off running their small horse drawn carriage rides bussniesses. This ban could cause them to go bankrupt... which means they would no longer be able to keep or care for their horses. I should also note that these are not just working animals! They are pets, as claimed by the bussniesses. I would be very angry if I lost my pet and livelyhood just because some city folks don't like the poo or see horses as dangerous. Other bussiness owners are claiming it's bad for them. But in realtity it's not! These carriages are used to transport people to other small busniesses. Which I think helps them out a ton. People have also claimed that horses walking on the pavement is damaging. I think that if the pavement is in good conditon the horses will not cause any damage to it.

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The businesses that run these rides have even offered to make a comprimise in order to stop the ban.

"Hemingway Carriage's owners said they're open to speaking with the council and finding a middle ground that makes everyone happy instead of banning the practice altogether. They said they are worried if the ordinance is passed, it could bankrupt their small businesses."

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From an article

"Some operators of horse-drawn carriage rides said they felt blindsided by the move to ban the practice."

"Hemingway Carriage is a family-owned business that has been operating in Downtown Cincinnati for the past 15 years. The owners said they see the horses as their pets and take very good care of them."

"They cited provisions set out by the city they follow to ensure the horses' safety."

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"The owners said the horses are given breaks if they seem tired, are only taken out to give rides a few times a week for a limited amount of hours, are well-fed, and see the vet regularly. If the weather conditions are bad, the horses won't be taken out, Hemingway Carriage officials said."

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"Responding to concerns raised that horse-drawn carriages were hurting small businesses, the owners said a big part of their operation Downtown is transporting people from restaurants to hotels, which is good for local businesses."

As long as the horses are well taken care of and given breaks often I see no problem with it. As claimed by the horse carriage owners, the horses are treated very well. With minimal working hours, plenty of food and breaks and are treated as pets not money makers.

There's only 6 total companies in the area that run these rides. But that is 6 families that may no longer have the money to support themselves due to this ban.

Start a riot, go scream "Prison" at the city council.

Alternatively, go to the meetings and present facts. Talk about the welfare of the animals, talk about the benefits to the local community. Convince them that banning it benefits nobody.

Sadly they are voting on it today otherwise I would ):

I do agree that being on payment is not good for horses. I also agree that it shouldn't be banned if the horses are being well cared for. What Puck said is exactly what I would do.

I don't know about your area but in my area, in NYC, the horse-drawn carriage business is horrid. A lot of the horses are mistreated and some collapse and die while working. Lots of people putting profits before the welfare of the animals, especially because it's a touristy thing and there are big bucks to be made.

I agree and prevent evidence from above to them.