Horse-drawn carriages in urban tourist settings raise significant welfare concerns regarding heat stress, hard pavement, traffic noise, and the psychological demands of working in stimulating environments.
The welfare of carriage horses depends enormously on the quality of individual operations rather than the activity category itself. Well-managed carriage horses with limited working hours, good veterinary care, soft footing where possible, adequate rest, and considerate retirement planning can have acceptable welfare. Poorly managed operations that work horses in excessive heat, on hard pavement for long hours, without veterinary oversight, or without retirement planning cause significant welfare harm. Welfare-focused regulation that sets clear standards for working conditions, veterinary care, and retirement planning is preferable to blanket bans that ignore welfare quality variation between operations.