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HORSE SENSE
Periodic updates about issues and actions concerning New York City's Carriage Horses +
Coalition to Ban Horse-Drawn Carriages
www.banhdc.org
Horses Without Carriages International
www.horseswithoutcarriages.org
PLEASE FORWARD TO LISTS, FRIENDS & COLLEAGUES ** Shamrock Stables out by June 1st ** ASPCA offers to take horses ** June 5th event ** New video ** Accident listing
SHAMROCK STABLES IN THE NEWS
must be out of present site by June 1st
NY Times - May 19, 2010 - City
Tells Carriage-Horse Stable It's Time to
Close - Wood shavings dust the
concrete ramp leading into to Shamrock
Stables, one of five carriage-horse stables
in New York City. But by mid-June, those
shavings, the smell of manure, and the quiet
whispers of the stable's Irish owners will
probably be replaced by the sites and sounds
of construction as the city plans to move
forward with a luxury and moderately priced
housing development that will also include a
new school, stores and open space.
At odds are a family-run business facing
eviction June 1 and the city's need to expand
and redevelop. The loss could be a quarter of
the city's carriage horses, beloved by some
New Yorkers, while others think they have
been mistreated for years and should be
prohibited in the city.
"We hold New York's most precious commodity
in the palm of our hand - and that's the
tourist," Ian McKeever, an owner of the
stable, said at a news conference on Tuesday
aimed at winning some kind of financial
support from the city. "Compassion is what I
am looking for in these economic times."
Shamrock Stables is the only stable leasing
its building from the city. According to
Carolyn Daly, a spokeswoman for the stable,
Shamrock has been a city tenant for 41 years,
originally on 61st Street near Franklin D.
Roosevelt Drive and, since 2001, at 522 West
45th Street.
Mr. McKeever, 41, and the other owner, John
Campbell, 74, said that when the city
relocated them in 2001, they signed a
month-to-month lease with the city, which led
them to believe they would ultimately return
to their original location. "But they didn't
put it in writing or make it official," Mr.
Campbell said.
Months turned into years, and during those
years the city notified Shamrock Stables more
than once that the land had been rezoned and
that their stables were destined for
redevelopment.
"We knew this would be developed at some
point," said Mr. McKeever, who pays $5,000 a
month in rent. Mr. McKeever said he believed
comparable stables would cost $60,000 a month
to rent, which he said he and his tenants
could not afford.
Last fall, Shamrock received notification
that the city had sold the land to Gotham
Construction for development and that they
would have to find new homes for their horses
and carriages by the end of 2009. City courts
granted the stables an extension through May,
but over the last few months, some of
Shamrock's tenants, growing nervous, left the
stable and settled in stalls located in the
four other carriage stables around the city.
"We know it's not easy to relocate a
business, but this is something that has been
in the works since 2005, and this," said Eric
Bederman, a spokesman for the Department of
Housing Preservation and Development,
referring to development, "is something the
community needs."
According to Mr. Bederman, the city's other
stables, which are all privately operated,
have the capacity to house the remaining
horses at Shamrock's stables, but carriage
drivers and supporters of Shamrock Stables
say every stable needs a few open stalls for
sick horses.
READ THE COMMENTS AFTER THE NYTIMES STORY
Please read the comments after the
blog. Shamrock has been paying $5,000
a month instead of market value of $60,000
for this space -- and it was in a building
that was owned by the Department of
Education. This, at a time when the City of
NY could have used the revenue. Why is this
industry subsidized by the government when
firehouses are being closed; teachers losing
jobs and other small businesses have lost their
space when rents go up or they are forced out
due to real estate development.
ASPCA & NY-CLASS OFFER TO FIND HOMES FOR HORSES
Shamrock turns them down
ASPCA/NY-Class - May 27, 2010 NEW YORK -
The imminent closing of Shamrock Stables in
Manhattan presents an opportunity to New York
City, the carriage horse owners and those who
favor the humane treatment of animals. The
ASPCA, in partnership with NY-CLASS, has made
an offer to Shamrock Stables and the City
government to find homes for these horses,
taking them off the streets and placing them
in environments that have their best
interests at heart. This option puts the
welfare of the horses first and prevents them
from being auctioned off to work farms or
where the possibility for exploitation and
inhumane treatment is high.
"Even though we have opposing views on the
proper treatment of horses, we believe that
in this case, we can all work together on
their behalf. We stand ready to cooperate
with Shamrock Stables and the City on this
important issue."
This offer should have put a stop
to the industry's threats of sending the
horses back to the Amish to work 12 hour
days. However, it was turned down. Read
about it in the NY
Times - An Offer for Stable's Horses, but Not
the Stable 5/21/10 - along with the
comments that follow.
HOLD THE DATE - SATURDAY JUNE 5TH
Horses Without Carriages International Day
The first Saturday of June and December is
Horses Without Carriages International Day in
which groups in cities around the world stand
in solidarity with each other to protest the
inhumane and unsafe horse-drawn carriage
industry. See our web site Horses
Without Carriages International.
SHOCKING LIST OF CARRIAGE HORSE ACCIDENTS
compiled by All-Creatures
All-Creatures has the most complete
list of
carriage
horse accidents. The list they have compiled
includes the article from which the
information came. It represents accidents
throughout the world. Although the
Coalition is the source of much of the
information - via our e-newsletter , we only
keep a compilation for NYC on the web site.
click
here to view.
ABOUT COUNCIL SPEAKER CHRISTINE QUINN
New Youtube video by Donny Moss
Donny Moss has almost single handedly taken
on the defeat of Christine Quinn for mayor in
2013. See his new video on Youtube: Christine
Quinn Lies to the Public -
Please note:
- The Council Speaker has almost as much
power as the Mayor.
- The Speaker decides what bills are voted
on and which ones will pass.
- The Speaker is elected by her Council
colleagues. There is a lot of
power brokering, back room deals and Tweeding
that goes on. The
Speaker is not elected by the people.
- Individual Council Members have almost no
power.
- This is the way NYC government is
structured.
- Speaker Christine Quinn just happens to
be opposed to any animal issues bill that
comes before her. She is pro real estate
industry, carriage industry, restaurant
industry, pro zoo, circus and so on
- The City Charter is currently under
review and some issues will be on the ballot
in November. Most of the appointees on the
charter were put there by Mayor Bloomberg.
We can move to another city or we can get
involved in the next mayoral election in
2013. Christine Quinn will most likely be
running for mayor and she already gets a lot
of publicity. If she is elected, it will be
a disaster for fair minded, compassionate
people. It is
still much too early for other politicians to
announce their intentions. GET INVOLVED.
BLOGS ON THE ISSUE
Shamrock Stables out by June 1st??
Shamrock
Stables Must Not Be Subsidized - Zizi
JOIN US ON FACE BOOK & SIGN ONLINE PETITION
"Never doubt that a small group of
thoughtful, committed citizens can change the
world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever
has." Margaret Mead.
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Thank you for caring about the horses,
Elizabeth Forel - Coalition to Ban
Horse-Drawn Carriages - a standing committee
of The Coalition for New York City Animals,
Inc.
Please DONATE
to our campaign to ban
the inhumane and unsafe carriage horse industry.
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