?If you build it they will come.?

The Chairman of SPCA, Dr. Andrew Madeiros said yesterday that a shelter for carriage horses in St. George?s could be built practically anywhere and did not have to be on the town square.

?Tourists already walk great distances in St. George?s to make use of other tourist facilities,? he said.

Dr. Madeiros was responding to comments made earlier by carriage operators that they had to have a shelter constructed on the town square or Ordinance Island, or not at all.

Meanwhile St. George?s mayor E. Michael Jones said yesterday that the Corporation of St. George?s had planned to construct a shelter for carriage horse on Ordinance Island, but that Seaport Security had objected.

?Now we?re looking for a second spot,? he said.

Mr. Jones invited Dr. Madeiros out to St. George?s to help the Corporation find a good location so that construction of a shelter could begin.

He said an earlier article in stated that the Corporation was opposed to the idea of a shelter because the town was a World Heritage Site.

?That?s not true, we just have to be aware of the type of awning we use, that?s all,? he said.

Mr. Jones admitted that he was in a predicament because horse owners had told him that it was bad to have a horse working in the sun and then be put under shade for a short while before going back into the sun to work.

He said he was waiting for the Government vet to contact him in regards to this because he had two opposing views and needed an outside party to clarify this.

?I?m no expert, so I?m hoping the Government vet will give us some idea of what we should do,? he said.

Dr. Madeiros said the SPCA and Corporation of Hamilton had been working together on a plan of action concerning carriage horses in Hamilton.

But, he said, nothing ever came of it because the Corporation claimed that manpower was a problem.

?I was disappointed because I thought we?d finally be able to make a difference,? he said.

He said while the Front Street horse canopy was now up, it had still taken the Corporation some 20 months to react.

Dr. Madeiros said tourists and locals alike complained about the state of the horses and blamed the SPCA for not interfering.

?It makes us look terrible!? he said.

He added that they had been trying to change the situation for years and had hoped the meetings with the two Corporations would have helped.

He said it was very frustrating for staff who work under the Care for Animals Act which meant they had to prove that cruelty was taking place.

This meant physical proof which included cuts, bruises or breaks ? something the courts also demanded.

Dr. Madeiros said this was no easy matter when it came to carriage horses ? unless the horse actually died.

He complained that it sometimes took months to get a court date and during this time the SPCA was responsible for the animals.

He said not only did they not have the space for horses, but it would cost thousands to care for them.

?Money we don?t always get back after the matter goes to court.?

?We also still have horses being kept in below standard facilities and despite this, their owners still manage to get their licenses every year,? he said.

Another issue the SPCA is concerned about are the hours that carriages are allowed to operate in Hamilton.

Rush hour traffic, he said, was a problem for the animals because of all the noise and impatient drivers.

?It?s an accident waiting to happen,? he said.