For decades, carriage rides through old Montreal have taken tourists back in time, letting them trot through the city the way Canadians might have before the automobile. But the future of that practice is now uncertain after mayor Denis Coderre imposed a year-long ban on the horse-drawn vehicles, which comes into effect on Tuesday. Caleches -- as they’re called – can be dangerous, says Coderre. The mayor is calling for new rules to be imposed after a car and horse collided last month with no driver present in the carriage. “There's two priorities,” Coderre said. “To make sure there’s safety for the people and safety for the horses.” The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals has said before that these sorts of incidents are not uncommon in the city. The group said it receives “hundreds” of complaints each year about the working conditions and general state of carriage horses. “There simply is no humane way to have carriage horses in a downtown environment,” says SPCA director Alanna Devine. The city has said it will refund the cost of yearly permits to drivers who are no longer allowed to offer rides. But owners say that refund will be far exceeded by the cost of stabling and feeding the animals if they aren’t allowed to work. Some owners also fear the animals will end up in the butcher shop – a scenario animal rights activists are trying to prevent. “We have always been willing and are still willing to work with the city and the carriage horse owners to place these horses in retirement homes and sanctuaries,” Devine says. Despite the criticism, owners insist their horses are not being exploited for tourists’ sake. “When I dress that girl in the morning -- go, go, go,” says carriage driver Richard Delisle as he stamps his foot, imitating a hoof. “She loves the job.” With files from CTV's Kevin Gallagher
