Charleston Animal Society Requests Independant Review of Downed Horse Incident

CHARLESTON, SC – Charleston Animal Society has formally requested Mayor Joseph P. Riley, Jr. to initiate an independent review of the horse-drawn wagon incident that occurred on July 17, 2015 in downtown Charleston. Reports indicate that the horse named Blondie was spooked by a cement mixer truck, then collapsed onto the hot pavement where he lay for approximately 2 hours unable to stand until heavy machinery was brought in to lift him to his feet.

The Animal Society is committed to ensuring that incidents such as what occurred to Blondie will be prevented in the future. According to ABC News 4, following Blondie’s collapse, Mayor Riley commented that he thinks the situation should be addressed and best practices should be changed if need be to prevent future issues.

“We applaud the Mayor for recognizing that the incident needs to be evaluated to avoid it from happening again,” stated Joe Elmore, Chief Executive Officer for Charleston Animal Society.

“Mayor Riley has a history of taking swift action and bringing together the best qualified people to study and solve issues. To that end, Charleston Animal Society is offering its highly credentialed staff to participate in a fully transparent and independent review so that all of us can learn from this incident and prevent what happened to Blondie from happening again,” stated Elmore.

Charleston Animal Society has offered its Senior Director of Veterinary Care, who is a member of the South Carolina Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners and credentialed in equine cruelty investigations and its Director of Anti-Cruelty & Outreach, who is the only certified animal cruelty investigator in Charleston County, to participate in a fully transparent and independent review of the downed horse incident.

“As South Carolina’s first and oldest animal organization, along with being accredited by the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA), our highly credentialed staff are uniquely qualified to partner with the City of Charleston to address what happened to Blondie and prevent something worse from happening to another equine,” stated Elmore. “Tourism is important to our community, but we need to ensure the safety of our citizens and visitors while they are on the streets and the animals that are serving them.”

Charleston Animal Society is not opposed to the use of horses and other equines in pulling carts and carriages for hire, provided that all of the animals’ physiological and behavioral needs are fully met, housing and stable conditions are humane and their working hours and conditions are carefully regulated and independently monitored as to temperature, humidity, proximity to traffic, rest periods, etc.