Any curtailing of the horse and carriage industry will only hurt business and take away a Hamilton activity tourists have enjoyed for years, said one long-time operator.

Antoine Sealey, who operates a horse and carriage, hit back at criticisms from horse and carriage operator John Flood, who said last week he would be running his business outside of the city where there is less traffic.

Mr. Flood is planning to petition TCD ? which licenses horse and carriage operators ? to take the carriages off the road in Hamilton during the day for safety reasons.

Mr. Sealey said such a move would hurt his business as he is already putting in full days of work, and often nights, to earn an average salary.

Despite calls from the public and the SPCA to monitor the industry more carefully, Mr. Sealey said horses are properly taken care of, and if there?s one issue operators deal with on a daily basis, it would be inconsiderate drivers.

He admits the business does sometimes hold up traffic on Harbour Road, however, Mr. Sealey said he tries his best to keep the horses moving with the traffic or he tries to avoid busy areas. ?I try my best to be fair to the traffic,? he said.

The majority of horses on the Island are also well-taken care of, according to Mr. Sealey, who said many do not work full ten-hour days.

Operators often work an eight-hour day and Mr. Sealey said that he usually receives compliments on how well cared for his horses are.

?Most of the horses are young enough to be able to work these hours with water breaks in between,? said Mr. Sealey. ?The majority have not even hit the double digits. A horse is an athlete ? horses are born to run. Most of the exercise we give them is steady exercise on flat routes.?

He said taking horse and carriages off the roads in Hamilton in the peak of the season, would upset tourists, many of whom come to the Island with the hopes of enjoying a carriage ride.

?Putting restrictions on horse and carriages is ridiculous,? he said. ?It?s part of Bermuda?s tradition. I recognise that some people have to upgrade the facilities where they keep their horses but, when the horses are working, there is plenty of time for breaks.?