The City of Seattle

Director's Rule

Implementing Seattle Horse-Drawn Carriage Ordinance

Seattle Rule 6.315.003

(1) Purpose.

This rule addresses the shoeing requirements as it concerns preventing slippage and providing shock absorption for horse licensed and working as horse drawn carriage horses on paved surfaces within the City of Seattle.

(2) Seattle Municipal Code Reference.

SMC 6.315.220 B (1) requires a carriage horse be:

A. Appropriately shod on all four (4) hooves;

B. Be free of any loose shoes; and

C. Shod with shoes designed to prevent slipping and to absorb shock when working on paved surfaces.

(3) Definitions.

The following definitions apply for this rule.

A. "Shod" shall mean some variant of horse shoe utilized on all four hooves.

B. "Shoes which are designed to prevent slipping" shall mean either a steel shoe with borium applied or a shoe with a rubber, vulcanized rubber, polyurethane, or elastomer outer covering.

C. "Shoes which are designed to absorb shock" shall mean either a shoe with a rubber, vulcanized rubber, polyurethane, or elastomer outer covering or a steel shoe with a rim pad of a shock absorbent material such as rubber, vulcanized rubber, polyurethane, elastomer, or silicone with leather.

(4) Requirements and Responsibilities.

To be considered appropriately shod a horse shall have the following:

A. At a minimum, shoes designed to prevent slipping on all four hooves; and

B. At a minimum, shoes designed to prevent both slipping and absorb shock on the two front hooves.

(5) Alternative Requirements.

As no two horses necessarily have the same exact shoeing requirements to remain sound and healthy, and the above requirements represent the typical industry requirements for carriage horses working on paved City streets, the City has provided for the following optional shoeing requirements.

In cases where both a farrier and veterinarian are in agreement that a particular horse requires special considerations for shoeing the following shall occur:

A. At the time of initial licensing and each six (6) months thereafter a letter shall be written and signed by both the farrier and the veterinarian explaining what the horse's special requirements are and outlining the course of treatment and shoeing recommended;

B. The required letters shall be written on the veterinarian's letterhead, signed and dated with the names and titles of both farrier and veterinarian; and.

C. The letters shall be submitted to the Director for review and retained as proof of compliance for the alternative procedure.

Effective Date:

April 1, 2009

DIRECTOR'S CERTIFICATION

I, Fred Podesta, Director of the Department of Executive Administration, do hereby certify under penalty of perjury of law, that the within and foregoing is a true and correct copy as adopted by the City of Seattle, Department of Executive Administration.

DATED this ______ day of March, 2009.

CITY OF SEATTLE,

a Washington municipality

By: ____________________________________

Fred Podesta, Director

Department of Executive Administration