Dear Supporters, It happens every year and often numerous times. Horses working in stressful conditions and in extreme heat become spooked and out of control. It is not the horses fault, but the city streets are no place for horses to begin with. This past weekend a horse broke free from the carriage it was pulling and bolted away. Here is an eye witness account of what happened, but that the carriage operator did not communicate to the media when being interviewed: "At approx 11:30 am yesterday, Friday, AUG 19, 2016, a brown horse pulling a carriage became extremely agitated and bolted. The carriage and horse were out of control and the horse was running all over Niagara St in James Bay. The driver could not control the horse. There were 4 or 5 passengers in the carriage. This started at the corner of Menzies and Niagara St. and continued down Niagara. A person who lives in an apartment building at Niagara ran out and tried to grabbed the horse. Another person who lives in the building ran out and was helping the passengers. 911 was called and the police arrived. Before police arrived a man in a SUV drove up and wanted to know where the passengers were and then drove away quickly with them in his vehicle as the police were pulling up. A city bus that was coming the other way stopped on the side of the street and waited. After it was all over the woman driver of the carriage walked down the street holding onto the horse. The witness told me that the scene was so upsetting that she was shaking for hours afterward." This is unacceptable. Someone could have been seriously injured and actually may have been, but it sounds as though the incident was possibly covered up to protect the reputation of the carriage company. This event was still traumatic even if no one was injured and that must also be taken into consideration. What will it take for the City of Victoria to take action? Will they wait until someone is injured or worse? Or will they be proactive and support phasing out this industry by the end of 2017. Thank you for your continued support for a ban of horse carriages in Victoria. We can do better as a community and for the animals by putting exploitative, profit-driven industries like this to rest. Please continue to share and encouraging others to sign. Thank you Sincerely, Jordan Reichert Victoria Horse Alliance