San Juan outlawed horse-drawn carriages on April
20 after a horse pulling a carriage collapsed in the middle of a street in Old
San Juan.
The photos of the horse were posted on social
media and went viral.
In signing the executive order banning horse-and-carriage rides, San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulin Cruz
Soto cited "deplorable conditions of exploitation and mistreatment to
which horses are subjected to in Old San Juan."
The order stated that the mayor's office had
received complaints for years from tourists and residents.
The carriages were popular with cruise passengers
and other tourists in Old San Juan.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio vowed to ban horse-drawn carriages
during his first week in office in 2014. The city's council is still mulling a bill that
would ban them.