Horse-drawn carriage bans are being considered in Texas cities, but what about Austin?
The rhythmic clip-clop of horse hooves has not echoed down Congress Avenue in more than five years, ever since rising costs and a drop in downtown crowds, driven by the COVID-19 pandemic, slowed horse-drawn carriages to a complete halt.
Such tours have long captivated tourists. In Dallas, the carriages circle Klyde Warren Park; in San Antonio, they stroll along the historic River Walk. Both cities are contemplating the removal of horses from their streets but are drawing a starker line by banning the nostalgic tours entirely. Claims of animal cruelty by animal advocates have stalked the debate about banning horse-drawn carriages for decades, and Texas politicians are taking notice.
As recently as December, a Dallas City Council committee discussed banning walk-up, horse-drawn carriage rides completely. Adam Bazaldua, representing District 7, chairs the Quality of Life, Arts, & Culture Committee and recently told The Dallas Morning News he would support a full ban, citing cruelty to the horses as a main reason.
According to Natalie Nieves-Guerrero, a spokesperson for Bazaldua, the item is scheduled to come back to the Quality of Life committee April 15. Nieves-Guerrero did not respond to questions about Bazaldua’s involvement with the ban.
In San Antonio, a ban was considered in 2022 after an attempt to repeal regulations that would forbid horses to work when air quality health alerts are issued or in weather above 95 degrees. Existing San Antonio regulations dictate that horses can work an eight-hour shift at maximum, with 16 hours of uninterrupted rest between shifts, mirroring Austin’s city code.
District 2 Council Member Jalen McKee-Rodriguez was a vocal advocate for a carriage ban, filing a council consideration request in November 2022 alongside District 3 Council Member Phyllis Viagran, to have the practice banned by 2023. However, the action is still pending and will be decided upon by Mayor Ron Nirenberg, according to Viagran’s chief of staff, Ruben Lizalde. Nirenberg's office did not respond to requests for comment.
Austin trots forth without bans
While horse carriages are technically still allowed in Austin, city spokesperson Jack Flagler confirmed that only Fantasia Carriage is permitted to operate in downtown Austin.
Previous efforts to ban the practice in Austin — one petition notched more than 30,000 signatures in 2016 — petered out and were largely unsuccessful.
Robin Donahe has operated Fantasia Carriage since 2012 and offers carriage rides for special events, primarily weddings. Donahe stables her two gray Percheron mares, Diva and Josie, at home in Lago Vista.
The horses, native to northern France, can measure up to 18 hands, equivalent to 6 feet tall, and were historically bred to pull carriages, charge into battle and plow fields. According to the Percheron Association of America, the breed became largely unemployed in the early 20th century, with the advent of cars and tractors.
Donahe rejected claims that horse-drawn carriages are cruel. In fact, she said, the carriages are light enough for a human to easily pull, and carriage horses, many of which can weigh in at 1,500 pounds, can pull six times their weight. She said advocates for banning the practice are uninformed.
“They’re just parroting what they’ve heard other people say,” she said.
In the past, Donahe said passersby who have seen her mares at weddings have shown interest in having the horses in downtown again, but she said the long hours, unfair for the horses and herself, coupled with unreliable money are enough to dissuade her from bringing horses back to the capital.
She said Diva and Josie are beloved members of the family and will live out their days on her farm.
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: San Antonio and Dallas might ban horse carriages. What about Austin?
