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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 ** Equine Rescuers ** June 5th event ** report an accident ** Savannah ** merchandise ** irresponsible drivers
SHAMROCK UPDATE
not looking good for the horses
We have heard that the deadline for Shamrock
to vacate the premises has been extended from
June 1st to Monday, June 7th. We do not know
how many
horses there are and we also do not have direct
knowledge of this situation. However, these
are some possibilities:
- If they do not find a suitable stable in
this time, they will be forced to leave the
premises by the City Marshall
- The owners of Shamrock own several
medallions between them. This gives them the
right to operate a horse carriage. Even
if they do not find a stable by the time they
have to be out, they will undoubtedly keep
the medallions. It would be highly unusual
for them to go out of business.
- Until they find something, they would
probably store their equipment (carriages,
etc) in any warehouse in the tri-state area.
- Horses are high maintenance if they are
not "paying their way." They would get rid
of most of the horses other than some of the
"special ones."
Horses, unfortunately, are expendable.
The horses are a big worry to us. I have been
told by horse rescuers that the industry
generally does not give horses away if they
still have value at an auction. It seems
unlikely that they will agree to turn any
over to the ASPCA unless money changes hands.
EQUINE RESCUES - CAN YOU HELP?
heads up -- the reality
THE REALITY: The industry recently
experienced a big victory in getting the rate
increase bill signed into law, while making
few concessions. The situation with
Shamrock Stables does not suggest that they are
going out of business. It is very
unlikely that Shamrock owners will make any
kind of deal with the ASPCA or any other
animal organization that wants to shut them
down. They made that
perfectly clear in a statement to the press.
These horses are privately owned
and the owners are under no
obligation to do anything other than to
"dispose of the horses humanely" -- what ever
that means.
URGENT: If there are any Equine
Rescues
reading this and you think you can put up
some money to buy one or more of the horses,
please contact me at coalition@banhdc.org.
I have contact information that I can give
you. I do not have any special hot line
inside information
but I do have some telephone numbers. It is
worth a try.
HORSES WITHOUT CARRIAGES INTERNATIONAL
international day of solidarity - June 5th
Please join us for a rally/press conference
on Saturday, June 5th as we stand in
solidarity with cities across the world
working to get these dangerous and inhumane
horse-drawn carriages off the streets.
- WHEN: Saturday, June 5th from
1:00 PM to 3:PM
- WHERE: North/west corner
of Fifth Avenue and Central Park South
- SPONSORS: Coalition to Ban
Horse-Drawn Carriages, Friends of Animals,
Heart for Animals
Council Member Melissa Mark Viverito --
sponsor of Intro 86, the bill pending in the
City Council that would ban horse-drawn
carriages in NYC and retire them to
responsible and humane homes -- is
tentatively scheduled to join us and address
the press. Besides New York, participating
cities include Philadelphia, Chicago, Boston,
Atlanta, Rome, Vienna, Montreal and Victoria
BC, and all will hold rallies on June 5th.
SUMMER IS THE TIME FOR T-SHIRTS
buy our merchandise and spread the word
The Coalition to Ban Horse-Drawn Carriages
makes merchandise available through two online
stores. Click
here for CBHDC merchandise --
and here
for HWCI merchandise.
This merchandise is offered at cost because
we feel it is more important to get the word
out. We have tees,
tote bags, caps, mouse pads, mugs, bumper
stickers -- take a look!
HOW SAVANNAH DEALS WITH IT
not like in the Big Apple
Savannah carriage companies each pay $800 per
month for the city to clean up horse
excrement. In NYC,
the Sanitation Department is responsible and
the industry pays nothing. Just one more
perk for an industry that is favored by our
politicians.
Read about Savannah by clicking here.
The area around Central Park South
smells very bad. It is a combination of
horse urine and feces that has permeated the
streets
for years. The horses also smell bad, which
comes from living in a dirty stable and not
being well groomed. Like human hair and
cat fur, a
horse's hide will pick up and absorb smells.
This is very curious because Central Park
South houses some very expensive hotels and
high priced apartment buildings. Go figure.
IF YOU SEE AN ACCIDENT
report it ... to us (carry our e-mail address with you)
If you see an accident, please do the following:
- call 911 - police emergency
- call the ASPCA - 212-876-7700 - x 4450
(humane law)
- Get these facts: Time, location,
Carriage license # or description if you
cannot get the number; horse hoof number
(left front hoof) or description of horse if
you cannot see the number; description of the
driver; what happened
It is very important to report it to
us. We will take this information
and attempt to get the press to cover it. We
recently got Gothamist to publicize the last
two accidents in NYC. This is crucial to us
all to make the case against horse-drawn
carriages. The ASPCA is NOT going
to report this to the press.
Carry this e-mail address with you
coalition@banhdc.org. Take pictures.
If you have the appropriate cell phone, you
can e-mail
pictures to us right away along with a
description. (picture is of carriage going
down street with fire trucks.)
15 FIRE TRUCKS
noisy, smoky and nuts + irresponsible carriage drivers
About 5 pm on Saturday, I was on 60th
St. between Amsterdam Avenue and Broadway. There
was fire in an apartment building on
Amsterdam and 15 fire vehicles responded to
the alarm. This, however, did not prevent
the irresponsible carriage drivers from going
down this street (west), which they generally
do on their way back to their stables. Two
got through before one of fire trucks
moved to block the street.
Luckily, the horses got through without
spooking.
And they like to say that we know nothing
about horses!
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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