ST. LOUIS — Some St. Louis horse-drawn carriage companies are rejecting a new city rule they say will hurt their business.
“It's getting ridiculous,” said Ed Lammering, a driver at the St. Louis Carriage Company.
The rule states that if the high is predicted to be 93 degrees or above on a given day, carriages can’t be out for 24 hours.
“My boss can't stay in business. None of us can. They're going to rule us out of business,” Lammering said.
Lammering has worked with the same horse, Luke, at St. Louis Carriage Company for 14 years.
“He's like part of my soul,” Lammering said.
And Lammering said they take every precaution to make sure their horses are healthy. That includes waiting until it’s cooler out to go outside.
"I wouldn't do this job if the horses were not taken care of well,” Lammering said.
A few weeks ago, the city enacted a rule that says the horses can’t be working when it’s 93 degrees, but once it drops below 93, they can come out.
A city spokesman says that was the result of a legal language mix-up and was never supposed to be the rule. The stricter rule was always the plan.
"So why can't we come out when the temperature cools? That is the big issue.” Lammering said.
It’s such a big issue, he’s ignoring the newest rule.
“We are not going to abide by the rule,” he said. “The ball’s in their court.”
A city spokesman says they don’t want to put anyone out of business, but the streets department can revoke the license of any business not abiding by the rule.
