SAN ANTONIO – Leaders of the city’s horse-drawn carriage industry are calling on city council members to keep their business alive.
Representatives from multiple San Antonio-based carriage companies held a news conference on Monday afternoon.
“The impact of the closure of this industry far exceeds tourism and what we see in downtown San Antonio. The impact is tremendous on the lives of the drivers, the owners, and the horses themselves,” said Art Martinez de Vara, an attorney for the businesses at the news conference.
Many people held signs in protest of the city’s proposal to phase out the carriages, including Chris Davis.
“This is my family. This is a supporting and loving community that welcomes all types of people,” Davis, a horse-carriage driver, said. My horse is “my partner. He takes care of me just as much as I take care of him.”
Multiple carriage drivers spoke out during the conference to fight misconceptions about the industry. They were joined by city and state leaders.
District 10 Councilman Marc Whyte spoke in support of the horse-drawn carriages. He shared the importance of small businesses in the community and his disappointment in what could happen in Thursday’s city council meeting.
In an emailed release, an attorney for the businesses said the conference served as an opportunity to publicly oppose the city’s proposal to phase out the carriages.
City officials have discussed these plans for months. In August, the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee voted unanimously for city staff to devise options for eliminating the carriages within one to three years. By late October, city council members were briefed about three potential options.
The options included 12-month, 24-month, and 36-month transition plans. The presentation said each plan included changes to a current city ordinance or city code and an outline of short-, mid-, and long-term strategies available to carriage operators to assist them with employment.
The city placed the plan as an agenda item for Thursday’s meeting, which is why advocates spoke out on Monday.
The ordinance set to be voted on would create a three-year plan to phase out horses in this type of tourism transportation.
Animal rights groups, like PETA and Animal Wellness Action, cite safety concerns for the horses, drivers, and pedestrians as a reason to stop this business.
“It’s reckless and it’s cruel,” Ashley Byrne, the director of outreach communications for PETA, said. “There is no excuse for continuing this. It’s time to start a new tradition.”
The meeting on Thursday is set to start at 9 a.m.
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