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How to bring awareness to locals in Bahamas about Nassau Carriage Horses (we realize we are not the first to try to help make change)

Thu, Oct 27th 2022, 02:32 PM
Animals/Pets

The living conditions of the Bahamas licensed carriage horses is appalling and the Ministry of Tourism should be embarrassed. Why are licenses given when proof of proper care isn't being made? We delivered two bales of hay two days ago as we found out they are not being fed hay ($47/bale) and are being fed grain. As many locals and tourists already know, they live in a small littered lot with makeshift stalls made of corrugated steel and no proper bedding and they are tied to these stalls because there is no gate to keep the horses in. We have committed $2,000 USD to help with hay (40 bales of hay which won't last long) and are going to start a charity. The money will go directly the pet feed distributor so it doesn't fall in the wrong hands. One chestnut horse requires a vet exam asap as he is thin and smells horrible due to lack of proper coat care and the horses are hungry. We are going to contact as many people as we can to see what aid can be given to sustain the horses. We will go back to build them a proper shelter using their own inventory of corrugated tin they have and skids to make supports plus hurricane ties. We have asked the employees to clean up the property in order to 'earn' hay. We will also send a care package down with horse grooming supplies as they can't be bought locally.  

Upon doing my due diligence with reading articles on Bahamas Local I read the complaints about this industry and it seems many people have tried to help. If this is the case, why are the horses still living in unsuitable 'stalls'. One horse was tied to a fence when we were there and standing on footing that was all garbage (cans, glass, debris).

Paula Caruna had a petiton signed in 2012 but no changes were made. What is it going to take? Isn't it time? It seems the horses living in New Providence also had complaints and had a program started. I've started a GoFundMe page in Canada. We will also start a registered charity called HITCCH (Help Improve the Care of Carriage Horses). The people of the Bahamas need to get back together and try a new approach such as The Humane Society, Cab Board, Ministry of Transportation, your government and other concerned parties to see what the right thing to do is without having this help taken advantage of. We spoke with Dudley, the owner of the horses, and he is open to help and he delegated all communication to Akeem who is one of his carriage riders. The carriage riders said we were the first to visit the horses living conditions but I now realize this was a misleading statement as I came across an article written ten years ago in a 2012 Bahamas Local newspaper where a woman says, " the stable conditions for the horses are “deplorable” and revealed the Humane Society gets frequent letters from tourists who are “upset” about the working conditions for the animals." 

PS: We realize there was a feeding program through the governement and that it was pulled because the employees were not using there profit to buy food and relied on this. How about hay bale matching or holding the horse carriage employees accountable in some way? Should the horses be trace clipped? Who can take accountability to ensure the horses care is adequate on a weekly basis? 

 

The living conditions of the Bahamas licensed carriage horses is appalling and the Ministry of Tourism should be embarrassed. Why are licenses given when proof of proper care isn't being made? We delivered two bales of hay two days ago as we found out they are not being fed hay ($47/bale) and are being fed grain. As many locals and tourists already know, they live in a small littered lot with makeshift stalls made of corrugated steel and no proper bedding and they are tied to these stalls because there is no gate to keep the horses in. We have committed $2,000 USD to help with hay (40 bales of hay which won't last long) and are going to start a charity. The money will go directly the pet feed distributor so it doesn't fall in the wrong hands. One chestnut horse requires a vet exam asap as he is thin and smells horrible due to lack of proper coat care and the horses are hungry. We are going to contact as many people as we can to see what aid can be given to sustain the horses. We will go back to build them a proper shelter using their own inventory of corrugated tin they have and skids to make supports plus hurricane ties. We have asked the employees to clean up the property in order to 'earn' hay. We will also send a care package down with horse grooming supplies as they can't be bought locally.  
Upon doing my due diligence with reading articles on Bahamas Local I read the complaints about this industry and it seems many people have tried to help. If this is the case, why are the horses still living in unsuitable 'stalls'. One horse was tied to a fence when we were there and standing on footing that was all garbage (cans, glass, debris).
Paula Caruna had a petiton signed in 2012 but no changes were made. What is it going to take? Isn't it time? It seems the horses living in New Providence also had complaints and had a program started. I've started a GoFundMe page in Canada. We will also start a registered charity called HITCCH (Help Improve the Care of Carriage Horses). The people of the Bahamas need to get back together and try a new approach such as The Humane Society, Cab Board, Ministry of Transportation, your government and other concerned parties to see what the right thing to do is without having this help taken advantage of. We spoke with Dudley, the owner of the horses, and he is open to help and he delegated all communication to Akeem who is one of his carriage riders. The carriage riders said we were the first to visit the horses living conditions but I now realize this was a misleading statement as I came across an article written ten years ago in a 2012 Bahamas Local newspaper where a woman says, " the stable conditions for the horses are “deplorable” and revealed the Humane Society gets frequent letters from tourists who are “upset” about the working conditions for the animals." 
PS: We realize there was a feeding program through the governement and that it was pulled because the employees were not using there profit to buy food and relied on this. How about hay bale matching or holding the horse carriage employees accountable in some way? Should the horses be trace clipped? Who 
can take accountability to ensure the horses care is adequate on a weekly basis? 
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