Sec. 33-462. - Care of equine.
(a) The director and the director of animal care services shall promulgate such rules and regulations as are necessary to carry out the provisions of this article and to promote the health, safety and well-being of the licensed equines.
(b) A veterinarian employed or contracted by the city shall be available on a regular schedule and at such other times as may be necessary to provide inspections and ascertain compliance with the terms and conditions of this article.
(c) Holders and drivers shall ensure that they have access to a sufficient amount of fresh drinking water for the equine that they are working. Holders and drivers shall insure that each equine is offered water in an appropriate container after every trip. Holders and drivers shall further ensure that equines be given a minimum ten (10) minute rest period between fares.
(d) Holders and drivers shall not allow an equine to be worked on a public highway, path or street during conditions which are determined by the director and the director's designee, or a veterinarian employed or contracted by the city, to pose a threat to the health, safety or well-being of the equine, passengers, or general public. If conditions develop while an equine is being worked, however, said equine shall be returned without delay to the stable by the most direct route and, if the threat posed is an immediate one, then the return of the equine to the stable shall be by equine trailer.
(e) Holders and drivers shall ensure that an equine does not work more than eight (8) hours in a 24-hour period without allowing an equine at least a sixteen (16) continuous hour rest period. Holders shall keep a current log provided by animal care services in each stable showing each equine's use.
(1) A shift shall be considered the same as the carriage operating hours.
(2) Equines shall be considered as working if the equine is pulling a carriage that is being presented to the public as a carriage for hire. If an equine must return to the stables due to inclement weather or equipment replacement, it may return to operation to complete the same shift. Holders shall keep a log in each stables show each equine's use. This log shall be provided by animal care services and must be updated each shift.
(f) Holders and drivers shall be responsible for any violation under this article and the rules and regulations established by the director, where it is shown such person had knowledge of the violation, or should have had knowledge of the violation, and made no attempt to prevent it from occurring.
(g) A holder shall keep on the premises of the stable where the equines are kept a consecutive daily record of the movements of each licensed equine, including driver's name and identification number, equine's identification number, vehicle identification tag number, and a daily manifest on each equine. Such records shall be made available, at any reasonable time, for inspection by the director and the director of animal care services, and their designees.
(h) An equine required to be licensed pursuant to this article which is lame or suffers from a physical condition or illness making it unsuitable for work may be ordered removed from work by the director and the director of animal care services, and their designees, and any veterinarian employed or contracted by city if said individual determines that removal of the equine is necessary for health and safety reasons or as an immediate protection to the equine or the general public. An equine for which such an order has been issued shall not be returned to work until such time as the equine is re-examined and a veterinarian licensed by the State of Texas certifies in writing that the equine is fit to return to work.
(i) A holder shall, at his own expense, have each equine examined by a veterinarian licensed by the State of Texas before the equine is put in service and every six (6) months thereafter. Holders shall be responsible for maintaining the following on each carriage in operation:
(1) Current license of the equine being used;
(2) Current picture of the equine;
(3) Current health certificate of the equine;
(4) The equine's body condition score, certified every six (6) months by a veterinarian licensed by the State of Texas; and
(5) Description and location of any other identifying characteristics, marks and brands of the equine.
(j) The holder shall, in the operation of a carriage service, use only equines which are geldings and mares; are a minimum of three (3) years old; weigh at least one thousand two hundred (1,200) pounds; and are of such stamina and in such physical condition, as determined by a veterinarian employed or contracted by the city or by the director, the director of animal care services, or their designees, so as to be able to perform the required equine-drawn carriage tasks without any undue stress and effort.
(k) A holder shall treat an equine for internal parasites every four (4) months under the direction of a veterinarian licensed by the State of Texas. A holder shall treat an equine for external parasites whenever they are found to be present.
(l) A holder shall have the hooves of equines trimmed and their shoes reset every six (6) to eight (8) weeks, using caulks or borium to prevent slippage; shoes shall be shod in a manner approved by the director of animal care services and shall have non-skid base surfaces.
(m) Holders and drivers shall ensure that equines are kept clean, especially those areas in contact with the harness or other tack.
(n) Holders and drivers shall ensure that pads and other pieces of tack are kept clean and in a safe and serviceable condition.
(o) The following shall deem an equine unfit for use:
(1) Lameness of any kind;
(2) Open sores or wounds caused or likely to be irritated by the bearing surfaces of harness, bridle or girths;
(3) Signs of emaciation, dehydration or exhaustion;
(4) Loose shoes or no shoes; or
(5) Is exhibiting uncontrollable behavior.
(p) Nothing in the chapter shall preclude the director, the director of animal care services, or their designees from enforcing all local, state, and/or federal animal cruelty laws.
(Ord. No. 2016-03-03-0164, § 1(Att. A), 3-3-16; Ord. No. 2024-12-12-0998, § 1, 12-12-24)
