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 When the automobile was first introduced to the Old West, there was quite a bit of hesitation to its
acceptance. Besides threatening the value of a cowboy’s prized possession, his horse, the automobile was a physical threat by actually frightening horses when the strange-sounding autos entered towns. Since there weren’t many automobile owners to stand up and fight for their rights, town ordinances limiting auto access were established. Many towns adopted ordinances requiring that a person walk 100 yards in front of any automobile, waving lanterns and shouting warnings of its impending approach. "Blue laws" and ordinances still exist on the books of some states and cities, requiring such announcements. A Chicago law still requires you to notify the police chief before entering the city in an automobile. One statute went so far as requiring an auto that spooked a horse be disassembled and hidden in the bushes.
Illustration
by Jessica Young
I’m sure there was some accident that fueled those first town council meetings, providing an emotional argument that proved these noisy horseless carriages needed regulating. It is the town or city council’s job to consider such situations, and emotions often impact decisions. Hindsight and time allow us to laugh at such laws, that were created with no consideration of the impact of such laws in the future. But it is important that we look at the long-term impact of potential laws, and to consider if they are fixing an isolated incident or are really for the betterment of all.
The City Council of Gautier, Mississippi may be soon facing one of those arguments, and its decision may produce a far-reaching impact on equestrians.
Recently Jessie Faulk, a resident of Gautier, had a horse bump into her pick-up truck, while she was trying to pass it on a town road. The horse was on the side of the road, but it spooked as she drove by, even though she drove very slowly. When the horse spooked, it backed into her truck. Fortunately, no one was hurt and the horse only had minor scrapes on its leg. The rider offered to assist Mrs. Faulk in the repair of the vehicle. But this small incident escalated quickly, when Faulk notified her city representative, Councilman Johnny Jones. Jones brought up the issue at the City Council meeting. The story seemed to illicit laughter at the Council meeting. But before you start laughing with them, you might want to be concerned. The incident was then brought to the attention of City Manager Don Pickard. His next step is one that we as equestrians should pay close attention to. He conferred with other city managers, to see if other towns had ordinances restricting riding horses on public streets.
Then the matter was brought before the Gautier Police Chief, Allen Johnson, who said he knew of no regulations prohibiting horse-riding on Gautier streets. He also knew of no other communities with similar laws. But he, too, said he would continue to look into the matter and question other cities and towns about how they handle such matters. It is this idea of looking to other cities, to see if they have such ordinances, that concerns me.
I have a vested interest in this topic because I am a Long Rider. Equestrian Traveler might be a better term. I belong to a guild of Long Riders. They are equestrians from all around the world and our passion is riding horses long distances. In 2003, I rode 1350 miles (the length of California) on horseback. I know I speak for most Long Riders when I say the hardest part of my trip was not sitting in the saddle for six to eight hours a day. It wasn’t finding food for my horses or myself. It wasn’t finding a place to stay the night. The hardest part of my trip was finding a route to get from point A to B with the least resistance. Like most Long Riders, I spent the majority of my trip riding on the side of roads much like those in the town of Gautier, Mississippi. I was fortunate that I did not have any accidents, even though loud semi-trucks would often come speeding toward us and offer their "encouragement" by blowing their air horn and spooking my horses. It would be nice if there were large segments of roads or trails across the country designated for equestrian travel, but there aren’t.
But one writer’s bias is not enough of an argument to squelch a possible law. All equestrians should be concerned for their loss of the right to ride. Recent activity on the “right to ride” horses in state and national parks is a great start for equestrians to gain back some of our lost open space and trails. But even that fight is not over. And when cities and towns create ordinances outlawing riding inside the entire town or city limits, many small roads and accesses we have deemed safe to ride our horses from one trail to another become off-limits. We need to think beyond our own limited current needs and plans and think of our children’s future right to ride.
This country was built by equestrian travel. The horse is its matriarch and the founder of every town and city. But the trails that horses and wagons carved out of this country are now being used as roads by automobiles and trucks. Instead of learning how to share, we equestrians have gradually yielded up our open spaces and byways, and settled for riding in circles in arenas. Will Rogers said, "There is something about riding down the street on a horse that makes you feel like something, even when you ain't anything." He also said that he wished he were born before the age of the barbed wire. But now, even the roads are being closed to us. We have given up our rights, equestrian heritage and tradition. This right to ride is diminishing everyday. And we are losing to an emotional argument, not a logical one. In Europe, riding on roads is so common there are equestrian safety classes provided and certifications for road riding. One would think that in America, with its cowboy heritage and way of life, equestrian travel would be even more acceptable and convenient than in Europe.
But I am sad to report that Gautier is not the first city to have such ordinances preventing street and road riding. These ordinances are creeping into cities all over the U.S. Cities and towns like Gautier, and others who are thinking of passing restrictions on horse owners, should consider the full impact of such ordinances. You are not only affecting horse owners, but horse-related business. The American Horse Council reports a staggering 1.9 million Americans own horses today. Even more staggering is that 7.1 million Americans are involved in the horse industry. There are 6.9 million horses in the U.S. and the horse industry has a $2.8 billion direct economic effect in the urban areas, with 45,800 full-time employees. In rural areas, the direct economic effect is $22.5 billion with 292,700 full-time employees.
Even if your town is as small as Gautier, chances are that
any horse restrictions will have a financial impact. You probably have a
horse tack and feed store, an equine veterinarian, a farrier, and a
trainer who makes their living teaching people how to ride and horses how
to perform better. You probably have at least one person who makes a
living buying and selling horses and another who does horse breeding. Most
equestrians in your town have horse trailers and the trucks to pull them.
Not only the salesman but the dealership benefit. There are also the taxes
on the registration from the vehicles used by state and local agencies for
many things including road improvements. Town ordinances will be impacting
not only equestrians, but equestrian-related businesses. These equestrians
and those who are in the equine industry are well-aware of horse-friendly
and not so horse-friendly communities, towns and cities. And most
importantly, these equestrians vote.
Every day there are thousands of automobile accidents in America. I'm sure there are quite a few car accidents in Gautier, Mississippi each year. But one minor horse accident and the City Council is looking for a solution. My solution . . . To the City Council of Gautier, I suggest you should pass an ordinance that cars should be eliminated within the city limits. They are a much greater threat to public safety than horses. And if an auto or truck must come into town, the driver must first notify the local police, and someone should have to walk 100 yards in front of it, announcing its upcoming arrival. Wasn't it Mrs. Faulk’s truck that spooked the horse and ultimately caused the accident? So if an auto happens to spook a horse, it must be disassembled immediately and hidden in the bushes, out of the horse’s view. Now that’s a good law.
Mrs. Faulk, I’m sorry a horse bumped into your truck. Last year a dump truck ran into mine while it was parked at the repair shop. My truck was totaled. I suppose I should have called someone on my City Council and insisted that all dump trucks be banned from the city. But I called my insurance company instead. I received a check for a new truck in less than a week.
Postscript: While researching this article I did learn of one good law for equestrians. In Oxford, Mississippi it is illegal to honk your car’s horn, period, for fear it will scare horses. Now that is a good law!
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Copyright Garry
Stauber © 2004 All rights reserved. The above article is
the property of the Author and may not be duplicated or redistributed in
any way without permission. Visit Garry on-line at Dream Adventures.
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