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.
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“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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