Horses trotted through the streets of Montreal on Monday, pulling their carriages for the last time ahead of the city’s year-long moratorium on caleches.
Owners and drivers see the moratorium as a blow to their livelihoods, as well as their relationships with the horses. They are worried about their own futures -- and the fate of their animals.
“It’s our life, it’s our way of living and it’s our way of sharing our lives with horses. It’s the way we put food on our plates,” said Luc Desparois, a stable owner in Montreal.
Part-time caleche driver Marilyn McKenzie has been with her horse Jesse for the past three years and has created a special bond with him. She hopes that the city will make the decision to allow caleches to run again once the one-year moratorium is over.
“He’s my honey,” said McKenzie. “I hope it works out because he really is my best friend.”
Several different stables have offered to take in the horses but many owners have declined.
“Somebody that offers to feed my horses for free sounds very generous to the public eye but when he can’t even say nice things about us I would never trust my horses to go to a place like that," said Desparois.
The SPCA has also offered to help find the horses new homes – but that would mean giving them up for good. The SPCA has said it would put the horses into permanent sanctuaries and retirement adoptive homes.
“We don’t want them to continue to be exploited and we certainly don’t want them to be sent to auctions,” said Alanna Devine, the director of animal advocacy for the SPCA.
Horse owners and drivers plan to take legal action against the city and are planning a protest Tuesday at Montreal City Hall.
The caleche ban comes after several incidents in Montreal, including a collision involving a horse and a car last month without a driver being present in the carriage. Montreal Mayor Denis Coderre plans to use the year to study the health and safety of horses working in the streets with carriages.
