SAN ANTONIO – Horse carriages will trot into San Antonio’s past within five years.
Two years after a pair of council members first pushed to ban carriage rides for hire, the San Antonio City Council voted 10-0 with one abstention to phase them out by January 2030. It was a compromise plan that seemed to leave a bitter taste in the mouth of both sides.
Carriage companies had asked for a five-year timeline as an alternative to the three-year plan the city originally put forward. Preferring no ban at all, though, they indicated they may still try to fight the longer timeline.
"We do think moving to the five-year plan gives us a little wiggle room. Obviously, I’m going to continue working with the city. We’re going to consider all of our options, including possible litigation," said Art Martinez de Vara, an attorney representing four of the five carriage companies.
Martinez de Vara said the carriage companies had wanted a five-year timeline with no throttling of their operations. They also believe the ban is preempted by state law and would work with state legislators on what could be done in the upcoming legislative session.
Councilman Manny Pelaez (D8) abstained from the final vote. He had been a strong supporter of a ban and called the five-year timeline a “wet noodle approach.”
Earlier, he joined council members Sukh Kaur (D1), Jalen McKee-Rodriguez (D2), Melissa Cabello Havrda (D6), and Marina Alderete Gavito (D7) in voting against switching from a three-year to a five-year phaseout.
Currently, five companies have permits to operate five carriages each on downtown streets within two miles of City Hall.
Going forward, no new permits or medallions will be granted, and their operating hours will be reduced over time:
- Dec. 5, 2024-May 31, 2027: 107 hours weekly (excluding holidays)
- Jun. 1, 2027-May 31, 2028: 79 hours weekly (excluding holidays)
- Jun. 1, 2028-Dec. 31, 2029: 58 hours weekly (excluding holidays)
The city says it will help business owners and operators with the transition by scheduling resource fairs, promoting its Ready to Work program, connecting them with Launch SA to develop new business plans, and to LiftFund for loans.
ANIMAL WELFARE, TRAFFIC, JOBS
Supporters have cited animal welfare and traffic concerns as the reason to ban the horse carriages, which have been licensed in San Antonio since 1865. The carriage companies have said they’re being unfairly maligned, and they treat their animals well.
Animal rights activists ahead of Thursday’s vote said the mere use of the horses is still exploitation.
“(Horses) didn’t help us build the United States. They didn’t help us build this building. They were forced to,” said Roland Downs.
Mariah Smith, one of the activists who has led the charge against the carriage industry, believes the five-year phaseout period is too long. However, she thinks it will happen, despite the carriage companies' apparent plans to try to change it.
“There’s no overturning it or way around it,” she said. “I think that’s part of the reason — whether I want to admit it or not — maybe that’s why five years had to happen, because it’s going to get done...There’s not going to be any loopholes or anything."
As they argued against a three-year phaseout, carriage supporters said banning their business wouldn’t relieve them of their bills or loans.
“We talk about that the horses can go— be euthanized and be put down. That’s because bankruptcy court will come over and take our assets — because our largest assets to our company are our horses — and they will be sold to the highest bidder,“ said Kathy Stephens, who works for the Bluebonnet and Lollypop Carriage Companies. ”Do you know who the highest bidder for a draft horse is? The meat markets.”
According to their attorney, four of the five companies collectively have about $5 million in debt. City officials had previously said the carriage companies had disclosed between $67,000 and $700,000 worth of debt. Economic Development Director Brenda Hicks-Sorenson said she had reviewed two of the companies' financials.
Carriage supporters also pointed to the lost jobs. Of the 44 operators who spoke with city staff this fall, 70% made at least $50,000 per year and 25% made more than $90,000.
Councilwoman Teri Castillo used examples of the San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo and horses in Fiesta parades to “highlight the hypocrisy of this body.”
“Why aren’t we having this conversation about those multimillion-dollar industries, but we’re eager to kill 81 businesses — 81 jobs, rather — and five businesses? Because it’s always easier to punch down and hit small business," Castillo said.
An online city survey about the carriages got more than 50,000 responses, with 52% supporting a ban. The other 48% were split between keeping the carriages operating as they are, expanding them outside of downtown, or moving them to city parks.
BAN SUPPORTERS SPLIT
Council split 6-5 on whether to extend the phaseout period from three years to five — a divide that included the council members who requested a phaseout in the first place.
Councilwoman Phyllis Viagran (D3) and Councilman Jalen McKee-Rodriguez (D2) put forward the request to consider a ban in November 2022. However, they ended up on opposite sides of the debate Thursday, with McKee-Rodriguez supporting a shorter turnaround ban and Viagran urging a longer one.
“I do not have enough information to see that this will be done equitably and fairly in three years,” Viagran said, also noting that the idea hadn’t truly started the council review process until April.
McKee-Rodriguez said he and others preferred a quicker turnaround on a ban, but after he failed to stop it, said he would support the five-year timeline. He also said there wouldn’t be a point where every business owner would be happy.
“We must do what is right, which is a banning of horse-drawn carriage and spending the next five years supporting the business owners and the employees in their next steps,” he said.
Related KSAT coverage:
CORRECTION: A previous version of this story misstated the district Councilwoman Phyllis Viagran represents. It has been corrected in the story above.
