VIRGINIA BEACH
Two years ago, the City Council agreed to let some people ride horses on the beach from fall to spring. But riding during the summer season? That's a horse of a different color.
Council members agreed Tuesday to study the idea for two more weeks after several expressed concerns about safety and health issues. The council had been set to vote on a pilot program to allow horse riding year-round at the resort.
"I do see enough to make me greatly concerned," Councilwoman Barbara Henley said.
Olde Virginia Carriage Co. has a franchise to offer guided horse rides on the beach from Nov. 1 to April 15. The company used to offer carriage rides, but they were discontinued.
Natasha Clarke, president of the company, said she can't earn enough money running tours only in the off season. She estimated the business has lost $50,000 since she started.
"We just want to stay in business," Clarke said. "We think it's a great activity for the beach. It's an awesome draw."
Police officers are more concerned with the safety issue of horses mingling with crowds.
Capt. Tony Zucaro, who leads the Oceanfront police precinct, said fears include horses accidently stepping on people and sand castles and pranksters trying to spook the animals with firecrackers or other loud noises.
City Manager Jim Spore, in a letter to the council, also warned of the health issues of having the horses urinate in the sand. The horses wear diaper bags, which don't catch urine.
"Most people on the beach are barefoot and would walk around a pile of manure," the letter stated, "however, they may inadvertently walk through the horse urine believing that it is water from a cooler or a child's pail."
Clarke dismissed those concerns, saying horses do not urinate frequently and rarely while walking. She added that, for most of the year, horses would be on the beach only from 7 to 9 p.m. Thursdays through Sundays.
As for safety, Clarke said slow-walk tours would be akin to an adult pony ride. Still, Henley and other council members said they wanted more information before a vote.
Clarke said that if the council does not extend her season, she will probably have to shut down her business.
"If it doesn't work out, that's OK," Clarke said. "But to lose the horses altogether would be a shame. They've already lost a lot of attractions down here."
Richard Quinn, (757) 222-5119, richard.quinn@pilotonline.com
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ssdamore
You make reference several times to the horses being no problem on the "streets." I agree with you that horses on a street, while no optimum for the horses or vehicles, due to traffic congestion, is more palatable than what is being proposed here! In case you didn't read the article carefully enough, these rides ARE ON THE BEACH!! The horses are tethered tightly in a circle with a flimsy structure and are contracted for $45.00 for a walk along the sandy beach where children and adults are sunbathing, building sand castles and playing frisbee. This is absolutely insane! How long before someone gets trampled and sues? How long before a horse urinates on a blanket? Horses are the beach go together like a peanut butter and anchovy sandwich...yuck!
Watch your feet....No horses on the Beach?
Then why are they on the sidewalk?
Street sweeping? Watch the whole thing.....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LabVBij4MRI
I'm Rolling..
...with laughter at this one. A horse with a diaper? A tourist stepping in urine? And then taking the city to court? Now THATS funny!!
Bikes
Bikes really freak them out.
Carriage Tours
Down here in Charleston, SC we have horse carriage tours year round. As teh weather gets warmer the welfare of the horses are watched by both the company and city. They are taken off the streets and gotten out of the sun when it gets to a certain temperature. They are feed and watered regularly, an the tour guides are always with them. People are encouraged to pet the horses and pictures are often taken. They are not a problem on the streets down here.
And look up in the Amish country in PA. They are a mainstay of transportation for the Amish and there are not a lot of problems as some people in Va Beach seem to think there will be.
quit crying
Olde Virginia Carriage Co. has a franchise to offer guided horse rides on the beach from Nov. 1 to April 15.
Boo Hoo, she's surprised that she's not making any money from April 16 - Oct 31?? Heck of a business woman there. Why should the city change the terms of your contract now?
As a horse owner, I believe that horses and the beach are incompatible during the tourist season. The business owner seems to care more about money than the welfare of her animals or the potential liability issues. Some drunk tourist or smart-aleck kid WILL eventually spook a horse and someone will get hurt.
Leave the beaches to the tourists. How about a concession in Pungo or Back Bay? Guided trail rides...think about it.
jmo
Horses and Beachgoing
Please, Please, Please, DO NOT ALLOW HORSES ON THE BEACH!! I don't know anyone who ever wanted to go to the beach to ride a horse. I was aghast last Spring when enjoying the boardwalk with a friend and came upon a strong unpleasant smell one might expect at a zoo. I was horrified to find horses tethered in a small circle with a makeshift "pony ride" sign. The worst was watching a horse relieve itself which took quite awhile since they urinate copiously. There are myriad reasons to disallow this nutty venture: 1) Potential liability issue, 2) Health concerns, 3) Unpleasant Odor, 4) PETA since horses are tethered on harnesses too short to hardly move. I'm all for privae enterprise but this one just doesn't make sense.