Activists oppose carriage rides

Animal rights advocates warn that the horses in other Florida cities have suffered from heat, exhaust fumes and traffic.

By BETH GLENN

© St. Petersburg Times, published March 21, 2000

NEW PORT RICHEY -- An application before the City Council to provide horse and carriage rides in downtown New Port Richey is drawing protests from animal rights advocates.

Brad and Kelly Purtlebaugh opened Avalon West Carriage Services last year in Hudson. Their two standard breed horses currently work on Saturdays pulling a carriage in Tampa's Hyde Park. But when they requested permission to offer rides in the city limits, a coalition of opponents flooded the city with letters and articles saying it's a bad idea.

"Usually people don't take enough food and water for the horses," said Marilyn Weaver, a city resident who submitted a letter of opposition to the council. "They leave them out in the hot sun. There's just no concern for the animals at all.

"The animals are not taken care of well," she added. "They're a product and people want to just exploit them and make as much money as they can."

Not so, said Brad Purtlebaugh, who invites anyone to inspect his animals.

"These horses are really yard ornaments," he said Monday. "They work one day week. They're beautifully groomed and taken care of.

"We have 8 acres and two horses. They're not overworked. We're open any time somebody wants to come out and look and take pics and smell the horses, whatever."

The ordinance before the council would amend the code to allow carriage rides after the police chief grants a permit. Among other provisions, the permit application must include a $250 fee, a description of how the animals will be quartered and cared for, and a recent certificate of fitness from a veterinarian. Those certificates must be updated every six months.

The proposal empowers the city manager to determine criteria and locations for carriage stands and to put other rules in place in the hopes of preventing traffic accidents or cruelty to the animals. There is also a prohibition against drunken carriage driving.

But Weaver said asking the owners to police the animals' condition is simply not good enough.

"If the industry is monitoring itself, you get veterinarians who are very sympathetic to you," she explained. "So how reputable is the oversight? You can't be sure. There has to be an outside agency checking."

In letters, Weaver, a group called Florida Voices for Animals and members of the Carriage Horse Action Committee of St. Petersburg say horses pulling carriages in other Florida cities have suffered from heat, exhaust fumes and terrifying brushes with cars. They say cities such as St. Augustine, which allows carriage rides, open themselves to lawsuits and trouble.

"By banning them before they get started, wise city officials save themselves the headaches horse and carriage operations bring with them," Greta Bunting, president of the action committee, wrote.

For his part, Purtlebaugh said his business shouldn't be tarred with the same brush.

"Just because you might have a problem with one person or industry doesn't mean you can shut the whole thing down," he said.

He recommended strengthening the proposed ordinance.

"It goes farther than Tampa's goes, as far as inspections and care of horses. I'm going to recommend that insurance provisions be strengthened," Purtlebaugh said.

"I think it would be a benefit for downtown New Port Richey, but I think council members need to make those decisions for themselves. I want them to make a clear and obvious choice without being browbeaten by protesters.

"And if they decide it doesn't benefit New Port Richey, I'm fine with that also."

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