Savannah City Council Strengthens Horse-Drawn Carriage Temperature Limits: PETA Celebrates

For Immediate Release:
August 15, 2025

Contact:
David Perle 202-483-7382

Savannah, Ga. –

Below, please find a statement from PETA President Tracy Reiman in response to the Savannah City Council’s vote yesterday to prohibit horse-drawn carriage operations at temperatures exceeding 85 degrees Fahrenheit starting January 1. The council’s move also lowered the temperature threshold to a maximum of 92 degrees Fahrenheit for the remainder of 2025.

Horses forced to haul heavy carriages through bustling city streets face debilitating injuries, ailments, and even death, and those made to pound the searing pavement through scorching summer temperatures can quickly succumb to dehydration or heatstroke in just a few hours. PETA thanks councilmembers Carol Bell, Alicia Miller Blakely, Bernetta Lanier, Nick Palumbo, and Kurtis Purtee for their compassionate move to give overworked horses in Savannah a small measure of relief and urges everyone never to ride in a horse-drawn carriage.

The council’s vote comes after dozens of PETA supporters and members of Ban Horse Carriages Savannah rallied at Johnson Square on Thursday morning to encourage support for the legislation and show off “Caroline,” a cutting-edge horse-free e-carriage created by Carriage Horse Freedom.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to use for entertainment”—points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow PETA on X, Facebook, or Instagram.