Protesters gathered in front of Montreal City Hall on Sunday, asking Mayor Denis Coderre to ban horse-drawn carriages called caleches after video of a collision between one of them and a car surfaced earlier this week.
The video shows a driverless caleche stumbling onto the roof a car at an intersection in Montreal on Wednesday. The horse manages to get off of the vehicle, stumble a few more times, before regaining its footing and trotting away.
Demonstrators at the event on Sunday said they're worried about the animals' working conditions.
"It's a barbaric form of entertainment," protester Sylvia Kump told CTV Montreal.
"I mean, we have to evolve. Montreal has to evolve."
Another protester expressed his concern over the horses' health on hot summer days.
"Horses were nice in the field, not on city streets when it is 30 degrees," he said.
However, caleche drivers insist that the adequate regulations are already in place and they're taking care of their animals
"Lots of (veterinarians) are checking the horses really regularly, and inspectors … they come to see us (regularly)," said one driver named Phillippe, who didn’t provide his last name.
"The accident, it's very, very, very rare."
He added that many of the horses are used to operating in the city and thrive on attention from riders.
Others said horse-drawn carriages are vital to Montreal's tourist industry.
"I think it is a plus for the city. The service and these guys are outstanding," said one man.
Projet Montreal, a left-of-centre municipal political party, is calling for an inquiry into last week's collision.
"I think it's time now that the City of Montreal finally takes action and does something about this industry," said Projet Montreal Coun. Sterling Downey.
"We're clearly not capable of controlling the industry."
A report on the city's caleches is being prepared for Coderre, who said all options are on table once he has had a chance to review it.
With a report from CTV Montreal's Aphrodite Salas
