Riverside weighs safety concerns as it decides who can give horse carriage rides at Festival of Lights

Riverside might change up who gives horse carriage rides during the Festival of Lights this year, amid concerns that horses and drivers unaccustomed to the noises and lights of the huge event could lead to horses kicking a pedestrian or getting loose and running through the crowd.

The City Council is set to review options — ranging from ending the carriage rides to allowing rides by all six companies that applied — at its Tuesday, Sept. 18, meeting.

Top concerns are making sure there are enough carriages — so people don’t have to line up waiting for hours — and ensuring that the carriage drivers and horses are experienced enough to keep anyone from being hurt, Councilman Mike Gardner said.

“Draft horses are big, heavy animals,” said Gardner, who represents the downtown area surrounding the Mission Inn, where the Festival of Lights is held. “If one breaks away and starts galloping down the street, it’s a danger obviously to anyone in the carriage but also to anyone in the way of the carriage.”

Gardner added that he’s not suggesting any of the six companies that bid for the right to sell rides during the festival are unsafe — just that they haven’t proven it. Because of that, he favors companies that have been at the festival before, which only includes some of the applicants.

To allow new companies to participate, the city could allow them to “intern” a year before applying, he said. The details would need to be worked out but would be based on a system Sacramento uses, Gardner said.

Jennifer Mitchell, the owner of Bloomington-based Dream Catchers Carriages, said that while her company hasn’t participated in the festival, she and her horses have both been involved before, working for other companies. Dream Catchers was ranked fourth out of the six applicants.

“The safety concern I have is that they should create a lane so people aren’t coming up and touching the horses,” Mitchell said, but she said she was OK with any of the proposals except removing the carriages completely.

The current system, which Riverside has used since 2015, hinges on an evaluation by a veterinarian who rates the horses’ health and visual appeal. This year, all six applicants scored highly, with scores on the 10-point rating ranging from 8.75 to 9.05.

City staffers don’t think there is enough time to restart the application process to emphasize different concerns before this year’s Festival of Lights, which runs from Nov. 23 to Jan. 6.

The other options include allowing all six applicants to participate, with two carriages each, or allowing three companies to operate at a time. The companies could rotate locations or rotate the weeks on which they’re allowed to operate.

While city staff mentioned one possible option was not allowing carriages, Gardner said he didn’t think that was a viable option.

“I think it’s one of the most important parts of the Festival of Lights,” he said.

The city intends to collect 18 percent of the money made by carriage riders starting in 2019, in addition to the $6,400 in fees it collects from the vendors.

IF YOU GO

What: The Riverside City Council will discuss the process for choosing horse carriage vendors.

When: 6:15 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 18

Where: Riverside City Council Chambers, 3900 Main St.

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