Video of collapsed horse in Old Montreal renews calls for ban on calches

The collapse of a calche horse in Old Montrealover the holiday weekend hasraised questions about the effectiveness of new regulations aimed at making the industry safer and renewed calls for an outright ban on the controversialtourist attraction.

The incident happened on Monday afternoon in front of throngs of tourists near the historic Notre-Dame Basilica.

Diane Villeneuve was in the area with a colleague when she saw the animal fall to the ground still harnessedto its carriage.

"The horse's front legs gave out, and the animal's head and jaw hit the ground hard," said Villeneuve, who recorded a video ofcalche drivers trying to help the horse.

Shesays they worked for about 10 minutes to get the animal back on its feet. It's not clear what caused the horse to collapse.

Villeneuve's video of the incident has been widely shared on Facebook.

Mayor Denis Coderre tried to ban the practice before the 2016 summerseason, buta Quebec Superior Court justice slapped an injunction on the proposed municipal regulation.

• Montreal won't fight to renewcalchemoratorium,Coderresays

Coderre decided not to challenge the decision, instead introducingnew regulations this year aimed at making the industry safer for horses.

The new bylawincludes provisions about the treatment and well-being of the horses, but also targets drivers, subjecting them to training.

New regulations give city power to act, Coderre says

On Tuesday, Coderre told reportershe asked for a veterinary report intothe incident, which he described as "shocking."

"I'm going to wait for the [full report], but what I've been learningis there was some extreme fatigue," he said.

If it turns out that the horse's owner acted improperly, the new bylaw will givethecity tools to take action, he said.

"At the end of the day, we need to make sure that the horses are not suffering," he said.

Industry is 'inhumane,' Plante says

Anti-calche activists seized on the incident, saying it offeredfurther evidence that an outright ban is necessary.

"The horse is down for a long time, looked completely still, and why did it collapse while standing? It's absolutely upsetting," said Anne Streeter, a member of theAnti-Calche Defence Coalition.

ValriePlante,ProjetMontral'scandidate for mayor in the November municipal election, called the incident revolting.

"Let's pull the plug on this inhumane and unsafe industry,"Plantesaid in a message posted toFacebook.