I knew I was becoming more aware of animal rights and how I felt about animals being put in place for human use when I started to think more in-depth about horse-drawn carriages. When I lived in Philadelphia, I remember seeing rows and rows of horses lined up with buggies waiting for people to ride in them. Often times these beautiful creatures would be out for long periods of time, in hot weather with blinders blocking their view, and with bags behind them to catch their feces. It seems like they were just held captive for our amusement.

It is rare when reading mainstream news articles about major events to find the animal rights’ perspective being entertained, much less being advocated. It was a pure delight for me to stumble upon Robin Raven‘s Yahoo! article about the royal wedding in April which highlighted the “unfortunate use of horses in the big exit.” I didn’t watch any of the royal wedding and had no desire to. However, I was glad this author could get past the royal star gazing to point out the obvious cruelty and outdated practice of horse-drawn carriages.

She wouldn’t be the first to point out this practice as being cruel and unnecessary either. There have been protests and bans against horse-drawn carriages in cities worldwide. One organization that focuses on this issue is Horses Without Carriages International. If this is an issue that resonates with you or you just want to learn more about it, certainly check out their website.

To quote Gandhi, “The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.”