Baltimore removes 'arabber' horses

BALTIMORE, Nov. 11 (UPI) -- An old tradition in Baltimore of "arabbers" selling produce from carts got a blow Tuesday when the city confiscated 19 of their horses.

Officials acted after an inspection last week found the horses were living in a rat-infested stable with water, mud and trash, The Baltimore Sun reported. Inspectors found the animals did not have adequate bedding.

"Conditions at these stables are deplorable, leaving us little choice but to remove the animals," said Olivia V. Farrow, Baltimore's interim health commissioner.

Most arabber horses had been kept in temporary tent stables, first at Pimlico Racetrack and then in South Baltimore, since a permanent stable was closed down in 2007 because of substandard conditions.

The city had planned to build a new stable in South Baltimore.

"Mayor (Sheila) Dixon promised me a stable and she's going back on her word," said Donald Savoy, 77, an arabber since he was 12. "It's a hurting thing to me."

Two stables housing a few arabber horses remain open, so one or two carts could continue to operate as they have since the 19th century. But if nothing is done about a new stable, most of the peddlers will be gone, the newspaper said.