City Council has voted to phase out the horse-drawn carriages operating in downtown San Antonio over a five-year plan.
SAN ANTONIO — San Antonio City Council voted Thursday on the future of horse-drawn carriages in the downtown area.
There are five companies that operate horse-drawn carriages in San Antonio. They employ nearly 300 people to keep their businesses running. This has been a discussion between the city and workers for about a decade.
“I believed for a long time that we need to phase out the use of of novelty rides like horse drawn carriages out of the main arteries of downtown, and I’m glad that we’re finally here with a glide path to do that,” Mayor Ron Nirenberg said Thursday.
City Council voted to phase out the horse-drawn carriages operating in downtown San Antonio over the next five years. Originally, the ordinance stated it would phase them out in three years, but councilman Marc Whyte motioned for the five-year transition plan, and it was voted through.
The vote was 10-1 with one councilperson abstaining from the vote.
The Animal Services Department would also not be issuing any new permits for horses to be used for downtown transportation effective Thursday, Dec. 12.
The last amendment limits the hours when the horses can be out working. The duration would decrease every six months until the beginning of 2030.
Over the summer, survey results showed over half of respondents supported getting rid of horse-drawn carriages.
In August, voters supporting the ban said it was necessary to alleviate downtown traffic and prevent animal cruelty.
“Even though that number is already extremely underrepresented, these people continually show us time and time again not only that we can’t trust them, but that they can’t abide by the rules. Profit is really of utmost importance to them, not welfare and public safety,” Mariah Smith, San Antonio Community Activist, said.
On Thursday, Art Martinez de Vara, attorney for four of the carriage companies, stood in front of council asking for, at the very least, a five year phase out plan so that the companies could pay down the $5 million dollars in debt they owe. That saying, the attorney stated the owners will be exploring all of their options.
“It’s considering, whether litigation or legislation is the proper way to assert the state preemption,” he said. “I mean, the state came in exactly for this, for this purpose, and they want consistent regulation across the state.”
The conversation most recently began in December 2022 when councilmembers Jalen McKee-Rodriguez and Phyllis Viagran co-authored a Council Consideration Request (CCR) asking city staff to establish a plan to phase out horse-drawn carriages in San Antonio.
“I am for horse drawn carriages in a way that is good for the animals in in an area that they feel like they can do their job,” Viagran said after the vote. “Right now, downtown is so congested, so much construction, so many street closures or streets and poor conditions and we just need to find a new route.”
For the workers, current carriage drivers could receive help to transition to a different tour guide role downtown or take on a completely different job through the city’s Ready to Work program.
Horse-drawn carriages have been part of downtown San Antonio for over 150 years. The owners say they preserve the stories of the Old Spanish Trail and Camino Real.
