We, the undersigned, respectfully call on the Government of Ireland to introduce a structured national phase-down of horse-drawn carriages for hire or reward on public roads, and to ensure that the forthcoming Animal Welfare Strategy 2026-2030 provides improved, nationwide horse carriage welfare standards and commits to the development of the necessary legislation to provide a clear statutory basis for this transition.

Ireland’s current framework governing horse-drawn carriages is fragmented, inconsistent, and outdated. Regulation varies by location and authority, with oversight spread across historic legislation, local bye-laws, and sector-specific bodies. In some locations, including high-use tourist routes such as the Gap of Dunloe in County Kerry, carriage operations fall between regulatory regimes altogether, resulting in gaps in welfare protection, monitoring, and enforcement.

In Dublin, regulation remains dependent on the Dublin Carriages Acts 1853 - 1855, while local authorities elsewhere are constrained by limitations within the Local Government Act 2001, creating legal uncertainty and uneven standards.

Horse-drawn carriages operating in modern traffic and tourism environments present structural and unavoidable risks to animal welfare and public safety, including but not limited to:

• Stress and exhaustion in urban and tourist settings;
• Exposure to heavy traffic, noise, and air pollution;
• Incompatibility with modern road speeds and emergency vehicle access;
• Limited capacity to monitor loads, working hours, and animal condition in live traffic environments;
• Reliance on reactive complaints rather than proactive welfare oversight.

While general animal welfare obligations exist under the Animal Health and Welfare Act 2013, these provisions are standards-based and enforcement-dependent. In practice, they do not adequately address the inherent welfare risks associated with requiring horses to pull vehicles in congested public road settings, often over long distances and demanding terrain. Incremental regulation alone has not proven sufficient to resolve these risks.

Internationally, many jurisdictions have responded to similar concerns by phasing out horse-drawn carriages from public roads, either through national road-traffic legislation (including in the United Kingdom and several Asian jurisdictions) or through widespread city-level measures across Europe and North America. In these cases, horse-drawn services have been replaced with non-animal alternatives, including electric vehicles, without loss of tourism or cultural value.

Cartagena, Colombia, and Brussels, Belgium, have both introduced vintage-style electric vehicles designed to preserve the traditional aesthetic without using animals — and without hurting tourism.

We therefore urge the Government to:

1. Establish a clear national policy and legal framework, through the Animal Welfare Strategy 2026-2030 and related transport legislation, to support a gradual, structured phase-down of horse-drawn carriages for hire or reward on public roads, eliminating inconsistent local regulation.
2. Introduce strengthened interim welfare and operational standards to apply during the phase-down period, including clear and enforceable provisions relating to:  Carriage type and capacity (including limits on passenger numbers and horse workload); Minimum and maximum working age of horses; Daily and weekly work-rest schedules; Mandatory and regular veterinary assessments; Proactive inspection and monitoring by a designated authority, rather than reliance on public complaints.
3. Support a structured transition for affected workers and operators to humane, non-animal alternatives for tourist or transport services, ensuring continuity of livelihoods while progressively ending reliance on horses for commercial carriage work on public roads.