Horse-drawn carriages persist in tourist cities worldwide, raising welfare concerns about hard surfaces, traffic stress, long working hours, and inadequate rest for urban working horses.
The welfare of horse-drawn carriage horses depends enormously on context. In well-regulated urban settings with veterinary oversight, weight limits, rest requirements, and appropriate footwear (rubber pads on hard surfaces), conditions can be managed to acceptable welfare levels for some horses. In poorly regulated contexts — including most working horse situations in lower-income countries — overwork, inadequate feed, untreated injuries, and exposure to harsh conditions cause severe chronic welfare problems. The fundamental question is whether the specific environment (hard pavement, traffic, confined movement, tourist hours) suits equine biology sufficiently to permit acceptable welfare — a question that honest welfare science must answer case by case rather than ideologically.