Right before the High Court of Bombay hearing for Mumbai's horse-drawn carriages on 13 December 2012, PETA released the findings of its latest investigation of cruelty to horses used by the carriage industry in the city.

See some of the heart-rending photographs from PETA's investigation, which show sick, injured, overworked and malnourished horses forced to live in atrociously filthy conditions.

An earlier court ruling suggested that horses found to be unfit should not be used for pulling carriages again until a veterinary officer determines that they are fit. As PETA points out, though, the stables are in decrepit condition, and forcing horses to work in the congested city, hauling loads on pavement, deteriorates their physical and mental health. The following are just a few of PETA's findings:

• Many horses were fitted with spiked bits, which cause their mouths to bleed. Horses were found with swollen lips and cuts in their mouths.
• Stables were found with various problems, such as poor ventilation and no drainage. The accumulated garbage, faeces and urine served as breeding grounds for flies, germs and disease. Food was often thrown on top of the horses' own faeces.
• Most of the stables lacked any facility whatsoever for water, and horses weren't given water between gruelling stints of pulling passengers. They are also starved while at work for up to 12 hours a day, even though their digestive systems require continuous feed intake in small quantities.
• Fatigued, overloaded horses were routinely whipped to make them move faster. Many drivers cover up the wounds using lime mortar, which acts as an irritant.
• Many horses' joints were so sore or swollen that they continually lifted their legs off the ground in order to rest them.
• Most of the horses were found with drooping heads, a sign of severe depression.
• Drivers readily permit the overloading of their carriages.

Join the campaign and call for a ban on cruel horse-drawn carriages in Mumbai.

Adding strength to the ongoing public interest litigation filed by the Animals and Birds Charitable Trust, an intervention application by PETA India has been accepted by the honourable High Court of Bombay. In recent years, PETA has gathered substantial evidence of cruelty to horses used for Victorias in Mumbai as well as the traffic risk that they pose to citizens. A number of the group's celebrity supporters, including Hema Malini, John Abraham and Jacqueline Fernandez, have backed its call for a ban on the Victorias.

"Forcing horses to haul tourists in carriages through congested traffic is already banned in Delhi, Paris, London, Toronto, Beijing and other cities", says PETA India Director of Veterinary Affairs Dr Manilal Valliyate. "Most tourists despise the cruelty to horses, and locals prefer forms of entertainment that do not harm animals. A ban on Victorias is necessary and inevitable."

Pushed past the point of exhaustion, horses often collapse when they are too worn out to continue and are repeatedly whipped in an effort to get them back on their feet. PETA decided to intervene in the wake of growing concerns from compassionate citizens regarding accidents in which horses have collapsed and even died. A carriage horse was critically injured after he collapsed because of exhaustion at Gateway of India in July 2012. Another horse died immediately after being hit by a taxi in front of Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus that same month.

Join the campaign by taking action now.