The Tribune

By RASHAD ROLLE

ANIMAL rights workers say they are concerned about the poor condition of surrey horses in New Providence, but drivers hit back with their own complaints about working conditions.

Yesterday, as staff from the Bahamas Humane Society conducted a monthly inspection of the horses at Prince George Wharf, they emphasised that drivers must feed the horses properly and bring buckets of water for them because the water system in the area has been damaged.

“A number of the horses need more weight,” said consultant James Crosby.

The troughs providing water for the horses are either too small or clogged up, he added.

“If horses aren’t properly hydrated and healthy, they and the riders are the ones that are going to be suffering. They need to set up a better water system so the horses can get the water better,” he said.

Mr Crosby added that many of the horses’ hooves must be smoothed as they contain splits that are likely to cause discomfort.

“Whoever is doing your shoeing needs to do a better job” he told the drivers, adding “Nothing’s about to drop dead, but if a horse favours his foot, that puts strain on his back.”

Concerns were also raised over the way in which drivers carrying tourists exit the Prince George Wharf area.

The drivers “out-hustle each other” to get a fare, one driver said.

But because the area the horses rest in until used is so narrow, when a driver tries to leave, the scene becomes chaotic.

Kim Aranha, president of the Bahamas Humane Society, said: “The tourists are looking worried. Just imagine you’re in a foreign country and you have to witness or be apart of this.

“This is why surreys are in bad condition. They have to go over walls and do all this other stuff.” More efficient co-ordination of the process must be implemented, she added.

For their part, drivers criticised a “nonsensical” legal restriction they must follow.

Every day, a rest period for the horses must be observed between 1pm to 2pm during the winter and 1pm to 3pm during the summer.

Drivers are not allowed to take their horses on the road during this period.

Maurice Symonette asked: “What if it rains all day and the horse remains there?

“Shouldn’t we be allowed to work during the resting period under this circumstance? Of course, if you do go out there during resting period because it has been raining all day they will put you off the road; yet people work here from 7am and haven’t had one job or made one dollar.

“Why make us come off the road for the rest break? At the same time, they gonna tell you the horses have to eat and need to put on more weight, but you ain’t make one dollar for the day.”

Thomas Demerit, who has been in the horse-riding business since he “was a little boy,” agreed, adding that he performs only “two horse carriage jobs a day.”

Aaron Lewis said: “We can’t make four or five jobs right now. Some days you lucky to get two or even one. And then the farrier supposed to come every month, but they don’t come like they supposed to and when they do they usually don’t fix what they’re supposed to.”