To continue to improve service for businesses, residents, and tourists, the City of Savannah Tourism Management and Ambassadorship Department recently completed training on equine health and safety issues. Dr. Emily Mitchum, DVM, from Low Country Large Animal Veterinary Services provided the training to help staff better enforce the revisions to the Horse-Drawn Carriage Ordinance approved on May 11, 2017 by City Council.

The ordinance details the regulations of the horse-drawn carriage industry to protect the health, safety, and welfare of the animals used in the tourism industry, as well as persons using the public right-of-way and the citizens of the City of Savannah.

“During the training session, I hoped to provide enforcement and ambassador staff with basic but crucial information in recognizing normal equine vital indicators such as temperature, respiratory rate and hydration status,” said Dr. Mitchum. “Knowledge and understanding of these parameters may help to prevent particular health concerns such as heat stress among our working carriage horses.”

The in-depth training included how to identify and deal with horses experiencing heat stress, how to deal with equine emergencies, and how to assess normal vital parameters of the animals. Bridget Lidy, director of Tourism Management stated, “Staff will recognize key areas of stress with the horses as well as take the appropriate action to avoid a serious situation.”