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BY PAT SUMMERS
NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM
Earlier this month, NewJerseyNewsroom.com carried a story about Philadelphia protesters urging a ban on horse-drawn carriages there. It referred to Haddonfield, N.J., as another place offering visitors horse-drawn carriage rides.
True. But it happens only twice a year: The Saturday of Haddonfield's fall festival weekend and then again on Friday-Sunday between Black Friday (the day after Thanksgiving) and Christmas Eve.
And the activity reportedly involves only one horse and one company, Uptown Pleasure Carriages in Southampton, NJ – or as Haddonfield's information center director put it: "One gal, one carriage, one horse."
Reportedly, the "gal" in question treats her horse ("Big Joe") royally, trucking him to Haddonfield only on "clement" days, then traversing a protected route the police have pre-checked. The 15-minute ride costs $2.
Danyelle Kumpel, owner of Uptown Pleasure Carriages, says her 15-year-old horse works in three-hour shifts. And she assures any horses that retire receive a home for life on her farm.In a case of what goes around, comes around, Ms. Kumpel mentioned she'll attend the 22nd annual convention of carriage horse business owners in North America this weekend – in Philadelphia. Hosted by "76 Carriage Company," behind all the carriage horses in that city, the convention runs Thursday-Saturday, with a trip to New York City's stables on Sunday.
Another Camden County town, Collingswood, has also sponsored horse-drawn carriage rides. But, as the PR office spokesperson indicated, the last time this happened was in 2008 during the holiday season only. Whether it will take place this year depends on an upcoming bid process.
The Promenade at Sagemore, on Route 73 in Marlton, was also mentioned as a site for horse-drawn carriages. However, a spokesperson there said it hadn't happened in several years because it was "too congested."
So a phone survey of places connected with horse-drawn carriages suggests this conclusion, couched in religious terms reflecting the moral and ethical issues involved:
The presence and treatment of horses in Philadelphia is a mortal sin. That in Haddonfield – limited in time and scope – is a venial sin. Collingswood is on the fence for now, while the Promenade has decided that, for whatever reason, it will sin no more.
A freelance writer on arts and lifestyles, Pat Summers also blogs at AnimalBeat.blogspot.com.
