FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 17, 2019
Contact: Ellen Harley
Charleston Carriage Horse Advocates asks, “Is this just sloppy or is it a willful attempt to mislead the public? …The citizens of Charleston deserve a government that tells the truth.”
Charleston, SC, June 17, 2019. On January 26, 2019 Charleston Carriage Horse Advocates (CCHA) was alerted and posted a photo from an advocate, of a working carriage horse named Carolina with a loose rubber shoe. Exactly four months later on May 27, 2019, CCHA posted another photo from a different advocate, of Carolina working in inhumane conditions. This time Carolina appeared to have a very swollen leg in the image and was pulling a full load during a heat wave in Charleston.
Hundreds of concerned citizens saw the images on CCHA’s social media pages and contacted the City about Carolina.
Charleston’s Equine Manager, Shannon Tilman, responded to advocate inquiries with incorrect and misleading information. Tilman wrote, “The photo you see was initially reported in 2018…” and “The second photo of the rubber shoe coming off was also taken in 2018 on a separate occasion.” Her statements should be a major concern to Charleston residents and tourists, as Ms. Tilman stated further misleading information on the issue in her responses.
According to FOIA information received from a request to the City, there is no current report of a loose shoe incident from Carolina Polo in 2018. This makes Ms. Tillman’s reference to a “report in 2018” appear to be untruthful.
To reiterate, the photos Charleston Carriage Horse Advocates posted were taken and are time stamped as January 26 and May 26, 2019.
Charleston Carriage Horse Advocates asks, “Is this just sloppy or is it a willful attempt to mislead the public? Thousands of people in Charleston and around the world are concerned about the animals in Charleston that work in searing heat, pouring rain and flooding. The citizens of Charleston deserve a government that tells the truth.”
