GRIFFINTOWN – At Lucky Luc stables, drivers and horses are getting ready for what could be one of their last days of work after Mayor Denis Coderre put an end to calèches for the year.
“I have to bring the horse to a slaughterhouse,” said André St-Amand, who has been working with his horse, Duke, for seven years.
“I have to kill my horse because I have no money to feed him.”
Twenty-four horses will be out of work when the ban comes into effect Tuesday, May 24.
READ MORE: No calèches in Montreal for a year: Denis Coderre
Some will head to refuges and farms, but others might not be so lucky.
With no money coming in from summer tourist rides, many drivers insist it could be the end of the line for the animals.
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“What happens to the horse? Dog food?” asked a driver, who asked to only be identified as Tom.
“Go to the slaughterhouse?” added stable owner Luc Desparois.
“It always depends on if I have to sell and who is buying.”
The welfare of the animals turned into a major concern following a string of accidents last summer.
In August, a horse slipped on a metal plate in Griffintown.
READ MORE: Protesters demand Montreal ban calèche horses
Not long after, a spooked mare got caught as it tried to jump over a bench in the Old Port and most recently, a horse was hit by a car on the corner of Peel and Wellington streets.
Drivers are worried they’ll be left out in the cold if the ban turn into a longer term rule.
READ MORE: Calèche horses in good health, says report
“I’m 55 now, I can’t have a job at $20/hour or minimum wage, ” said St-Amand.
“I have to take care of myself first.”
Drivers argue the fight with Coderre isn’t over, and are now scrambling to find a solution before missing out on the busiest time of the year.
“We’ll see with the law what we can do, we’ll see if the mayor really has the last word or if a judge can say differently,” said Desparois.