WATCH: Animal rights activists are furious after a horse slipped on a metal plate in downtown Montreal. Global’s Billy Shields reports.
MONTREAL – Mayor Denis Coderre is requiring mandatory veterinary check-ups after a horse slipped and fell on a metal plate in downtown Montreal.
It was a troubling sight that has reignited the debate over whether horse-drawn carriages should be legal in Montreal.
Tara Schulz, who manages a store in Brossard, saw the incident as she was stuck in rush-hour traffic Tuesday afternoon near the corner of Peel street and Notre-Dame street Ouest.
Traffic was jammed and there were four policemen there, she said.
WATCH: Vet checks for all horses
When she got closer, Schulz saw that a horse had fallen on a metal plate on the road.
“The horse was struggling to stand up,” she told Global News.
“It was disturbing.”
She said she was also incensed that the horse was not only made to trot on a metal plate, but also in heat that exceeded 30 degrees.
Schulz immediately shared the photos on the Anti-Caleche Defense Coalition Facebook page.
As the tourist season moves into full-swing, horse-drawn carriages are being used often in Old Montreal.
But animal rights activists have long insisted the practice should be stopped because it’s cruel to the horses and constitutes abuse.
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