§ 12.54.240. Requirements for horses in service.

A.

Before any horse may be used in a horse-drawn carriage business, the permittee must furnish the commission director with:

1.

A state certificate of veterinarian inspection identifying the horse by description and with front, rear, right and left photographs and showing that the horse has been examined at least once within the preceding six months by a veterinarian licensed by the state;

2.

Proof that the horse has had tetanus, rabies, Influenza, Rhinopneumonitis, and Eastern-Western encephalitis vaccinations;

3.

A negative Coggins test result; and

4.

Close-up photographs or drawings showing identifying markings of the horse.

B.

A permittee with a horse used in a horse-drawn carriage must adhere to the following regulations and conditions:

1.

Be appropriately shod and trimmed, and shall utilize rubber-coated pad or boots or open steel barium tip shoes, or other shoes approved by a veterinarian;

2.

Inspected and maintained by a farrier at least every eight weeks, or as necessary. Records must be kept by the owner in the carriage of the dates and the name of the farrier who shod the animal and are subject to inspection.

If a horse loses a shoe while working, an "easy" type boot may be used to finish the scheduled workday;

3.

Not have any open or bleeding wound, oozing sore, cut below skin level, or bleeding wound;

4.

Not have evidence of lameness;

5.

Have all harnesses properly fitted and in good repair with no deficiencies that create a safety hazard;

6.

Be properly cleaned with no offensive odors or caked dirt or mud;

7.

Wear a special sanitary device for containing animal excrement;

8.

Flies and other insects must be controlled through general sanitation and other necessary means;

9.

Horses weighing at least eight hundred pounds can pull one or two passengers;

10.

Horses weighing at least one thousand, one hundred pounds can pull three to four passengers;

11.

Horses weighing at least one thousand, four hundred pounds can pull five or six passengers.

For this section, a passenger is defined as an adult weighing more than one hundred pounds;

12.

Not have obvious signs of emaciation, malnutrition, or exhaustion;

13.

All harnesses, bridles and bits and any other equipment shall be properly fitted and kept in good repair. Blankets, bridles and bits shall not be used on another horse unless it is first disinfected. Harnesses and bridles shall be kept well oiled and cleaned and in good repair;

14.

Carriages must be kept properly lubricated, and wheels must spin freely and straight;

15.

Animals requiring veterinary care shall not be moved, ridden or driven, except for the purpose of humane keeping, pasturing or obtaining medical care;

16.

"Free choice" salt shall be available to all horses in the stabling and/or assembly/transfer sites;

17.

Carriages shall not be pulled by stallions or pregnant mares, nor shall stallions or pregnant mares be brought into any of the stables, assembly/transfer sites or assembly/holding sites;

18.

Mules used to pull carriages must meet the same requirements as described for horses;

19.

Provisions shall be made to catch or immediately pick up any manure deposited by the carriage horses away from the stable or assembly/transfer sites. The manure shall be returned to the stable or transfer sites for appropriate disposal;

20.

Horses shall wear properly attached and fitted blinders while pulling carriages;

21.

Owner and handlers shall take immediate measures to prevent shivering of horses;

22.

It is the responsibility of owners, drivers, and riders to protect the horse and, when under their control, to ensure that the horse is not left to roam freely and possibly cause harm to the public or itself;

23.

Owners shall not allow a horse to be worked on a public highway, path or street during adverse weather or other conditions that are a threat to the health or safety of the horse and public, this will include driving the horse across metal construction plates on the roadway; and

24.

No horses shall be permitted to pull a carriage with a loose shoe.

C.

The commission director, commission inspector, police officer or animal control officer may require the certificate holder or driver of a horse-drawn carriage to remove from service any horse that appears to be ill, overtired, undernourished, overloaded, injured, or lame or whose health or life in the opinion of a veterinarian or qualified equine animal control officer, is in imminent danger. To reinstate a horse removed from service, the horse must be re-examined and a new state certificate of veterinarian inspection issued for the horse by a veterinarian licensed by the state and specializing in equine medicine, which certificate must be submitted to the commission director.

D.

A person commits an offense by harassing or startling, or attempting to harass or startle, any horse while the horse is pulling a carriage or at rest or otherwise treats a horse inhumanely while it is working in a horse-drawn carriage. Violation of this section shall constitute a misdemeanor.

E.

A certificate holder and driver shall use a trailer to transport a horse to a job location in the metropolitan government area that is more than three miles from the location where the horse is stabled.

F.

For purposes of this section, a horse is considered to be working any time it is being used for-hire on a public street or sidewalk, or other public right-of-way, during any hour of operation of the horse-drawn carriage service that is authorized by and on file with the commission director.

G.

The metro animal control may order quarantine on the entire premises where the animals are being stabled or any part thereof or on any particular animal for any of the following reasons:

1.

Excessive parasitism, diagnosed by a veterinarian, which would cause the animal to be unfit to be ridden or driven;

2.

General malnutrition, as diagnosed by a veterinarian; or

3.

Presence of suspicion of contagious or transmittable disease, as diagnosed by a veterinarian.

H.

Owners and operators of horse-drawn carriages shall not permit unsanitary conditions to be present on any city route, animal rest area or any area where the animals are kept. All such areas shall be kept clean and free of conditions that might harbor, or be conducive to the breeding of insects or rodents.

I.

No animal shall be made to perform by means of any prod, stick, electrical shock, physical force, or by causing pain or discomfort. Any whip or riding crop must be used so as not to cause injury to the animal whether in or out of service. A whip or riding crop may be displayed on the carriage provided it is not used on any horse.

J.

The certificate holder shall notify the commission director of any carriage horse that dies within twenty-four hours, or if on the weekend or a legal holiday, during the next business day. The commission director may request that a board certified veterinary pathologist shall perform a necropsy at the expense of the certificate holder. A record of the death and/or necropsy finding shall be filed with the commission director.

K.

When weather conditions are adverse or inclement which could harm either horses or passengers, carriages shall not be operated. The commission, by rule, may adopt specific guidelines for the operation of carriages in inclement weather conditions.

(Amdt. 1 and 2 with Ord. 2002-1075 § 1 (part), 2002)