For 27 years, Brian High has run North Star Carriages. His horses are the same ones seen throughout Dallas carrying people for everything from history tours to special occasions.
"We do fantastic work," High said. "I could give you thousands of reviews of proposals, weddings, funerals, date nights, anniversaries -- I could go on forever."
On Jan. 2, 2023, on a ranch about 50 miles northwest of Dallas in a small town called Krum, the 40 horses that make up High's fleet were treated to shoeing and other routine maintenance following the end of the busy holiday season.
But soon, the city’s only permitted carriage company may no longer be able to operate. Dallas City Council is considering banning horse-drawn carriages entirely.
Gloria Carbajal and Jodie Wiederkehr of Ban Horse Carriages Worldwide are leading the push.
“So, we've reached out to our officials," they said. "We both have testified before City Council and submitted public comment."
Their biggest complaints are street safety and the treatment of the horses. Their organization has already influenced bans in cities like Chicago and Salt Lake City.
"Gloria has witnessed horse carriages parked in rideshare lanes, one horse carriage going down the wrong way on a one-way street, horses in bike lanes. And of course, multiple times seeing horses in 100-plus-degree weather." Wiederkehr said.
Dallas’ ordinance states horses can't work in temperatures above 99 degrees and for every eight hours on the clock, they have to have 12 hours of rest. They also must go to a veterinarian for a physical every 6 months. But High says his company follows those rules.
“We don't, we don't break the law. We don't have safety issues,” he said.
And he wants the opportunity to prove that to the city before they make any decisions.
"We're not doing anything wrong," High said. "We're not. We're not a nuisance."
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24 сен 2024
