This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
There will be no clip-clopping of horse hooves around downtown Salt Lake City's Temple Square and its festive lights this holiday season.
The City Council has banned horse-drawn carriages. There will be no direct effect on a horse business. Carriage for Hire, the only such operation in Utah's capital, shuttered its stables earlier this year in the wake of the August 2013 death of a carriage horse named Jerry.
The horse's collapse was captured on video and went viral.
The council's unanimous vote Tuesday came about 15 months after the public uproar over Jerry's demise. He went down on the pavement near the intersection of South Temple and State Street as afternoon temperatures soared.
Several days later, Carriage for Hire released a photo of a different horse and said Jerry had recovered. The charade was quickly unmasked by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA).
PETA, the Utah Animal Rights Coalition and dozens of unaffiliated residents called for a ban on horse-drawn carriages downtown at an August 2013 rally outside City Hall. The Humane Society of Utah also called for an end to the tradition.
Owners Blaine and Annette Overson eventually said that Jerry had died of colic, but by then the horse had been destroyed and there could be no evaluation by Salt Lake County Animal Services. The company owned 17 horses and operated in Salt Lake City for about three decades.
Council members had wrestled with horse-drawn carriage regulations after Jerry's death. They reviewed ordinances from 19 other cities that permit the practice.
The controversy over Jerry's death never did completely subside. In the end, the ban was made easier for the council, said its chairman, Charlie Luke, because the new law does not impact any existing business. Horse-drawn carriages will continue to be allowed during special events, such as the Days of '47 Parade.