(A) All operating carriages shall comply with the following requirements:
(1) No single animal shall pull a carriage holding more than 1.5 times its body weight.
(2) Unless written approval is given by a licensed veterinarian, no animal having open sores or wounds or any disease or ailment shall be permitted to be in service on the streets of the town.
(3) Each animal shall have all hooves properly trimmed and shod for street surfaces, with the horse shoes to be designed to keep the animal from slipping on the pavement.
(4) Each animal shall be groomed and shall not have fungus, dandruff, or a dirty coat.
(5) Harnesses shall be properly fitted, maintained and oiled so that no irritating material will come in direct contact with the animal.
(6) No driver may use more than a light touch of the whip upon any animal, and no driver or other person may forcefully strike an animal, or make movements or noise intended to frighten or harm an animal.
(7) No driver shall permit an animal to pull a carriage at a speed faster than a slow trot, except in emergency situations.
(8) Each animal shall be provided with adequate food, water and rest to pull the horse-drawn carriage to which it is assigned.
(9) No animal shall become overheated in a manner which endangers its health and safety.
(10) No animal shall pull horse-drawn carriages in temperatures below 25 degrees Fahrenheit under calm conditions or its equivalent when adding in a wind chill factor, or when the apparent temperature, combining the air temperature with the relative humidity, is above 90 degrees Fahrenheit.
(11) Animals used to pull horse-drawn carriages shall be given a ten-minute rest period at the end of two consecutive labor hours and potable water shall be made available during the rest period. Labor hours are defined as hours the animal is in harness for the horse-drawn carriage business. No animal shall be kept in harness for the horse-drawn carriage business for periods in excess of eight successive labor hours without a minimum of three successive hours out of harness. No animal shall be in harness for the horse-drawn carriage business for more than six days in a seven-day period.
(12) No animal shall be subject to any condition or treatment, whether in service or out of service, which will impair the good health and physical condition of that animal.
(B) Any sworn town police officer is hereby empowered to stop all carriages for inspection as to compliance with the above requirements, and is further empowered to confiscate for delivery to the Clerk the permit for any vehicle appearing to be in probable violation hereof.
(Ord. passed 8-1-2016; Am. Ord. passed 11-7-2016)