“On Sunday, July 19th, shortly after 8:00 P.M., the Animal Society began receiving calls from citizens regarding a runaway carriage and an injured carriage horse.  Videos and photos followed later.

Monday night, we learned that the draft horse, Ervin, was euthanized. This saddens us for all involved, including the carriage company, its owners and staff.

The video and photos show a bleeding and terrified horse. This must not be ignored and we urge the City of Charleston to conduct a full investigation. These images raise more questions about the enterprise of using horses in an urban environment.

Using horses in an urban environment continues to be controversial. Charleston Animal Society has never called for a ban, rather a peer-reviewed, prospective, scientific study to inform community leaders of the working conditions of these animals. The carriage industry and its supporters have fought this reasonable compromise from the outset.

Rather than coming to the table, our supporters have been physically assaulted and now we have been engaged in a two-year lawsuit aimed at silencing us and our advocacy for these animals. It is time to revisit this cruel enterprise that has caused the needless deaths of both humans and equines.”

Joe Elmore
Charleston Animal Society
President & CEO, CAWA