(A) All operators and owners of animal-drawn vehicles shall, in addition to other requirements of this chapter, comply with the minimum standards of this section. Failure to meet these standards shall be grounds for the issuance of a citation subjecting the owner to the penalties and fines provided in § 91.999. Facilities shall be subject to inspection by an Animal Control Officer upon his or her request during reasonable hours.
(B) All animals shall be provided daily with food and water, free from contamination. Such food shall be wholesome, palatable, and of sufficient quantity and nutritive value to meet the normal daily requirements for the condition and size of the animal.
(C) Shelter.
(1) All buildings and sheds used for stabling animals shall be:
(a) Well-lit and ventilated and provide adequate protection from the weather; and
(b) Kept clean and in good repair at all times, and manure and urine shall be removed therefrom daily.
(2) Any enclosures where animals are kept shall be graded and raked so as to keep the surface reasonably dry.
(3) Clean bedding must be provided.
(D) Flies and other insects must be controlled through general sanitation and necessary means.
(E) All animals used for carriage horse tours must weigh at least 800 pounds and be considered in generally good health. Any owner or operator of an animal-drawn vehicle who desires to use an animal for this purpose which does not weigh 800 pounds must apply to the MAS for approval in writing prior to such use.
(F) Animals exhibiting the following shall be deemed unfit for work:
(1) Sores or abrasions caused or likely to be irritated by the bearing of services, girth, harnesses, or bridles, unless padding could be utilized.
(2) Serious injury or illness.
(3) Obvious signs of emaciation, malnutrition, lameness, or exhaustion.
(G) Animals requiring veterinary care shall not be moved, ridden, or driven, except for the purpose of humane keeping, pasturing, or obtaining medical care.
(H) Animals shall be properly shod, and the hooves shall be kept trimmed.
(I) Animals shall be kept clean, particularly in the areas in contact with harness or other tack.
(J) Animals shall not be worked more than two hours without being given a total of 30 minutes rest. The maximum working period for any one animal shall be ten hours out of every 24 hours.
(K) Animals shall not be worked when the temperature at the work place reaches or exceeds 95°F. Animals which are on heat stress-preventive treatment which has been prescribed by a veterinarian may be worked while under such treatment on contracts entered into prior to the beginning of such treatment.
(L) The speed at which any animal is driven shall not exceed a slow trot.
(M) No animal shall be overridden or driven to result in overheating or exhaustion.
(N) Animals shall be provided water at the loading site and on routes at all times they are working.
(O) All harnesses and bridles shall be kept oiled and cleaned and in good repair.
(P) Carriages must be kept properly lubricated, and wheels must spin freely.
(Q) MAS may order a quarantine on the entire premises where the animals are being stabled or any part thereof or on any particular animal for any of the following reasons:
(1) Excessive parasitism, diagnosed by a veterinarian, which would cause the animal to be unfit to be ridden or driven.
(2) General malnutrition, as diagnosed by a veterinarian.
(3) Presence of suspicion of contagious or transmittable disease, as diagnosed by a veterinarian.
(4) Owners and operators of animal-drawn vehicles shall not permit unsanitary conditions to be present on any town route, animal rest area, or any area where the animals are kept. All such areas shall be kept clean and free of conditions which might harbor or be conducive to the breeding of insects or rodents.
(R) No animal shall be made to perform by means of any prod, stick, electrical shock, physical force, or by causing pain or discomfort. Any whip or riding crop must be used so as not to cause injury to the animal.
(1994 Jeff. Code, § 91.082) (Jeff. Ord. 17-1990, adopted and effective 12-19-1990; Jeff. Am.Ord. 46-1996, adopted and effective 12-10-1996; Lou. Metro Am. Ord. No. 97-2003, approved 5-16-2003; Lou. Metro Am. Ord. No. 233-2006, approved 1-4-2007; Lou. Metro Am. Ord. No. 290-2007, approved 12-20-2007)
Penalty, see § 91.999