{"id":4137,"date":"2023-10-02T02:30:52","date_gmt":"2023-10-02T02:30:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thevegandragon.com\/?p=4137"},"modified":"2025-12-02T03:46:33","modified_gmt":"2025-12-02T03:46:33","slug":"banning-horse-carriages","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thevegandragon.com\/index.php\/2023\/10\/02\/banning-horse-carriages\/","title":{"rendered":"Banning Horse Carriages"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Picture I took at last year’s event. This was the first time these assholes ever were protested. The horse closest, his rear right leg is showing lameness in this image and the videos I took. He was forced to pull people for 3 hours straight despite being in obvious distress.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

If you are a RESIDENT, own a business WITHIN Manassas City or Manassas Park, or live CLOSE to the cities please sign the petition: https:\/\/www.change.org\/p\/ban-horse-drawn-carriages-in-manassas-city-and-manassas-park<\/a><\/strong>

Manassas City is it’s own jurisdiction, not part of the county. We are targeting them specifically to ban the horse carriages. To see work being done in Prince William County see here<\/a>. For work in Fairfax county, see here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Every year at Christmas time the city of Manassas allows free horse carriage rides in downtown Manassas. The horses are subjugated to crowds of loud people, children grabbing and touching them, cars driving fast by mere inches from them as they pull or wait for the carriages to be loaded, and forced to work for 3+ hours straight without breaks. The horses show signs of pain from the bit (see here about bit cruelty<\/a>), pain in the legs, and exhaustion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Horse carriages are being banned in many cities around the world due to the cruelty and dangers inflicted upon the horses. Horses are prey animals and are easily startled by loud noises, fast movement, and even flashing lights. Their first instinct is to flee whatever it was that startled them. In a loud, busy city environment, this happens often, and horses bolt into oncoming traffic. Horses are constantly being struck by vehicles in city settings, dying from the collisions, or being so injured they are later euthanized.

Many horses used in the horse carriage industry are retired race horses from thoroughbred or standardbred (harness) racing. These horses originate from inbreeding and immense cruelty, being raced nearly to death, only to end up being forced to pull carriages. Many also originate from Amish, who also abuse animals.

Due to this, many of these horses are often older. It is not uncommon to see horses that are 18 years or older pulling carriages. This is the equivalent of a 60 year old human!

On top of being old and often coming from abusive backgrounds, carriage horses are forced to wear painful bits<\/a> that tear into their mouths, causing injuries and even bleeding. Bits are designed solely to cause pain to control the animal. There are cruelty free bridles, such as bitless bridles, that do not cause pain and also are stress free for the horses. To learn more about bits please go here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Carriages horses rarely are retired, either being worked until they die, or sent to slaughter. It is not rare to find these horses, even shires and other draft horses, at the kill pens being bought by kill buyers to be shipped to Mexico or Canada where they are slaughtered for their flesh, or shipped to yet another country to be slaughtered. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Due to this cruelty, the danger, and risk of injury to humans, we must ban horse carriages everywhere and replace them with electric carriages, such as what Philadelphia is doing<\/a>. See more sources here<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What you can do to help ban horse carriages from Manassas City is read the sources below to familiarize yourself with the issues of horse carriages and how many horses are killed every year from this sick industry. Then, contact the Manassas City Mayor, Michelle Davis-Younger, and tell her to ban horse carriages from the city and only allow electric carriages. You can reach her via:

Email: mdavis-younger@manassasva.gov

Call her at: (703)-895-4485<\/a>

Message her Socials: https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/michelle.davisyounger<\/a>
https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Michelle4Manassas<\/a>
https:\/\/twitter.com\/MDY_MadameMayor
<\/a>https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/michelledavisyounger\/<\/a>

You can Email the mayor and all city council members using this Email: mayorandcouncil@manassasva.gov

Or, send individual Emails to the council members via: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mayor & Council<\/a><\/td>Ashley<\/td>Hutson<\/td>Council Member<\/td>ahutson@manassasva.gov<\/a><\/td>(571)-330-5514<\/a><\/td><\/tr>
Mayor & Council<\/a><\/td>Theresa<\/td>Coates Ellis<\/td>Council Member<\/td>tellis@manassasva.gov<\/a><\/td>(571)-247-6729<\/a><\/td><\/tr>
Mayor & Council<\/a><\/td>Sonia V.<\/td>Luna<\/td>Council Member<\/td>sluna@manassasva.gov<\/a><\/td>(703)-791-9401<\/a><\/td><\/tr>
Mayor & Council<\/a><\/td>Tom<\/td>Osina<\/td>Council Member<\/td>tosina@manassasva.gov<\/a><\/td>(571)-621-4069<\/a><\/td><\/tr>
Mayor & Council<\/a><\/td>Ralph J.<\/td>Smith<\/td>Council Member<\/td>rsmith@manassasva.gov<\/a><\/td>(703)-303-8530<\/a><\/td><\/tr>
Mayor & Council<\/a><\/td>Mark D.<\/td>Wolfe<\/td>Vice Mayor<\/td>mwolfe@manassasva.gov<\/a><\/td>(703)-257-1702<\/a><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n


Call the City (this will just get you a secretary but you can leave a message or ask to be transferred to the Mayor’s office: 703-257-8200

Or message their socials:

https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/cityofmanassas<\/a>
https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/cityofmanassas<\/a>
https:\/\/twitter.com\/CityofManassas<\/a>
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Phone: 703-203-930

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Manass Park also has now started to offer this cruelty, so please contact their City Council as well. Manassas Park is its own jurisdiction, just like Manassas City, so the city council must be contacted directly. The county has no control over these two cities.

To contact the Manassas Park City Council:

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mayor <\/td>Jeanette Rishell<\/a><\/td>j.rishell@manassasparkva.gov<\/td>703-401-0498<\/td><\/tr>
Vice Mayor<\/td>Alanna Mensing<\/a><\/td>a.mensing@manassasparkva.gov<\/td>843-697-9208<\/td><\/tr>
Councilmember<\/td>Haseeb Javed<\/a><\/td>h.javed@manassasparkva.gov<\/td>703-850-7621<\/td><\/tr>
Councilmember<\/td>Darryl Moore<\/a><\/a><\/td>d.moore@manassasparkva.gov<\/td>703-861-3670<\/td><\/tr>
Councilmember<\/td>Laura Hampton<\/a><\/td>l.hampton@manassasparkva.gov<\/td>571-758-4181<\/td><\/tr>
Councilmember<\/td>Yesy Amaya<\/a><\/td>y.amaya@manassasparkva.gov<\/td>571-359-3188<\/td><\/tr>
Councilmember<\/td>Michael Carrera<\/a><\/td>m.carrera@manassasparkva.gov<\/td>703-335-8808<\/td><\/tr>
City Clerk<\/td>Lana Conner<\/a><\/td>l.conner@manassasparkva.gov<\/td>703-335-8808<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Here is a video of the carriage company owner threatening to physically assault peaceful activists in front of the police! Share this with the city council members as well. Just a violent, dangerous person should not be welcomed into the cities and threatening residents or activists!<\/p>\n\n\n\n