A Hamilton carriage tour operator claims her 16 horses will have to be put down if her business is banished from the city after the Harbour Nights stampede.

The Corporation of Hamilton will publish an ordinance next week giving it the right to impose such a ban, if approved by its members.

Responding to the news, Shilo stables operator Dee Charles said her business would not survive a ban.

"I would have to put the horses down - how would I feed them? I could not operate anywhere else as there are already companies in St. George's and Somerset although when they hit one they will hit the others, they will not get away scot-free. They are going to ban them there, that's obvious," she speculated.

She also claimed that her business has not been adequately consulted by the Corporation on the topic, telling The Royal Gazette: "For them not to discuss it with us is very off-putting. I saw Mr. Madeiros when they were talking about having no carriages down Front Street originally and they were having a meeting with us and several other parties. They did have a meeting with the Government vet Dr. (Jonathan) Nisbett - he's on our side - but we were not invited to the meeting. It was supposed to be held the day Dame Lois Browne-Evans died and then they moved it to a different day, but never called us back."

She added: "I think it shows a lack of respect for us and I think it shows a lack of knowledge of the tourist industry. This is a business that the tourists just love. Taking it away would be very detrimental."

Carriage rides are currently subject to a temporary ban from the fringes of the Harbour Nights tourist event each Wednesday. It came after 19 people were injured on April 25 when two spooked horses owned by Dockyard-based operator Ray Bean broke loose and tore through a barrier and down Front Street with their carriage. Three weeks later, a second un-manned horse and carriage bolted along Front Street onto Bermudiana Road before a member of the public was able to grab the carriage and bring it to a halt on Par-la-Ville Road. The owner of this vehicle was never made public.

While tours are operating as usual outside of Wednesday evenings, Mr. Madeiros revealed in his initial response to the stampede that the Corporation would work on gaining further control over the carriage operations as it waited for the formal Police report into what happened. Also responding to the incidents, the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) said alternative venues for the carriage tours, such as the Botanical Gardens, should be explored since the heat, noise and traffic of the city places the horses under stress. Mr. Madeiros has since received more than 30 letters to this effect from members of the SPCA. Yesterday, he said he was still waiting on the Police report into the stampede, and hoped to see this before the Corporation makes a final decision on the future of the tours. He plans to contact Minister of Community and Cultural Affairs Wayne Perinchief to see if he can provide information.

Meanwhile, the ordinance will give the Corporation the legal right to impose a full or partial ban on carriage operations, should this be approved by members. Asked for his personal view, Mr. Madeiros said: " I would like to reserve judgment on that one because there are members of the public that feel strongly one way or the other and so do members of the Corporation. I may have to be in the middle of it."

He refuted Mrs. Charles' claims that her business had not been adequately consulted.

"We did in fact meet with she and her husband about horses in Hamilton. I would be delighted to meet with her again and with anyone who would like to make any representations," he said.

However, SPCA chairman Andrew Madeiros also said his organisation had not been advised of the date of the re-arranged consultation meeting.

"Obviously we are still keen to meet and discuss our issues and certainly if they are looking at changing anything we would love to at least be able to put in our input," he said.

A Police spokesman was unable to provide details on the status of the investigation into the stampede, as the lead officer was not available.