Are there regulations regarding the conditions under which downtown carriage horses work?
John Pucci, owner-operator of Horsedrawn Tours Wilmington, NC, said, “If we feel as though it’s a situation where it’s too hot for the horses, we shut down.” Pucci described his business as “a little different than most carriage operations. We have fresh water given to the horses continuously. Before they go out, we always give them a fresh bucket of water if they’d like it.” He said a shade umbrella is also positioned for the horses. Pucci also said horses are not ones to avoid the sun. “The ones that are out in the pasture, the hottest days they’re not standing in the shade in the barn, they’re out in the middle of pasture,” he said, “in the sun.” Jean McNeil, animal control services manager at the New Hanover County Animal Shelter, said to her recollection, members of her staff have checked in on the horses on occasion. “I think the horses have been acclimated to various degrees of temperature,” McNeil said. “They have water available to them. “Our understanding is that they trade i
