Protect Horses Before Another Deadly Collapse in the Street

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Sponsor: The Animal Rescue Site

Carriage horses in Savannah are collapsing from heat while city leaders stall—your voice could be the difference between protection and another tragedy.

Protect Horses Before Another Deadly Collapse in the Street

In the heart of Savannah’s historic district, carriage horses walk long hours through sweltering streets. Tourists see charm. The horses feel danger. When temperatures climb, their bodies can overheat fast—especially when the city waits until it’s already too late to pull them off the streets.

Current Rules Don’t Go Far Enough

The current rule allows horses to work until the air hits 95°F or the heat index reaches 1101. But this measurement doesn’t tell the whole story. It leaves out sun exposure, humidity, and wind—critical factors in how heat affects a body. A more accurate standard exists: the Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT). It reflects real-world risk, and when it hits 91°F, the National Weather Service classifies it as an extreme threat for heat stress2.

Precautions Aren’t Enough When Heat Strikes

Carriage operators say they take precautions—like spraying horses with hoses and cutting midday rides—but horses still suffer3. Even moderate work can raise a horse’s core temperature within minutes. Some can’t sweat at all due to a condition called anhidrosis. Without the ability to cool themselves, they are at serious risk of collapse or death4.

Injuries and Accidents Are Already Happening

There’s already been a crash that injured seven people after a horse spooked and bolted through downtown traffic5. And those are just the incidents that make headlines. Protesters have documented multiple unreported injuries to horses, warning that the worst could still be coming6.

A Better Standard Is Within Reach

The City of Savannah is now considering a change that would stop carriage rides at a WBGT of 91°F2. It’s a move backed by veterinarians and equine scientists. Installing permanent WBGT monitoring in public squares is also under review. But this protection hasn’t passed yet—and these horses continue to work every day in dangerous conditions.

It’s Time to Choose Compassion Over Tradition

Tourism should not come at the cost of animal suffering. Savannah has the chance to lead with compassion and common sense. A clear, science-backed standard will save lives, reduce risk, and make this historic city more humane.

Call on Savannah City Council to Do the Right Thing

Sign the petition now and ask that the city adopt a 91°F WBGT limit for working horses and put protections in place before another animal—or person—gets hurt.

More on this issue:

  1. Graham Cawthon, WJCL (24 Jun 2024), "Explainer: When are Savannah's horse-drawn carriage rides suspended due to hot weather?."
  2. Shea Schrader, WTOC (26 Jun 2025), "The threshold for taking working horses off the street in the heat could soon change."
  3. Brooke Butler, WJCL (20 Jul 2023), "How hot is too hot for Savannah's carriage horses? Tour operator explains."
  4. Stephanie Adams, EC Nutraceuticals (2 Jul 2025), "Horses and Hot Weather: Better Ways to Prevent Heat Stress."
  5. Graham Cawthon, WJCL (8 Feb 2019), "Horse carriage crash injures 7 in Savannah. Should the city end the rides?."
  6. Lewis Levine, WSAV (12 Sep 2023), "Protest calls for an end to horse-drawn carriages in Savannah."

The Petition

To the Members of the Savannah City Council,

We, the undersigned, respectfully urge you to adopt and enforce a firm policy that halts all horse-drawn carriage operations when the Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT) reaches or exceeds 91 degrees—a scientifically recognized threshold of extreme heat stress for working animals.

Horses pulling carriages through Savannah’s busy streets are vulnerable to heat exhaustion, dehydration, and life-threatening conditions such as anhidrosis and heat stroke. Unlike humans, horses cannot voice their suffering. They rely on us—on you—to act in their best interest when conditions become unsafe.

This is not simply a matter of business operations or tradition. It is a matter of humanity. Compassion must guide our choices, especially when they impact living, breathing animals who serve this city each day. A stricter WBGT limit, based on expert recommendations, is a commonsense and moral standard rooted in care—not just regulation.

By adopting this change, Savannah can become a national model for responsible and ethical treatment of working animals. Protecting the lives of these horses ensures a safer, more humane city—and a better future for all who live in and visit it.

We call on the City Council to:

  • Officially set 91°F WBGT as the maximum allowable temperature for carriage operation.
  • Install permanent WBGT monitoring equipment in public squares.
  • Enforce this standard without exception.

Please do the right thing. Let Savannah be known not just for its beauty, but for its heart.

Sincerely,

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