Susan Wagner from Equine Advocates will update us about Bobby II Freedom and Donny Moss will tell us about his new campaign. We are delighted to have as our musical performers Joy Askew and Joni Paladin. And if we are lucky, former Council Member Tony Avella, who is super busy running for state senate, and Council Member Melissa Mark-Viverito, sponsor of Intro 86-A, the bill to put an end to all of this inhumanity - will be able to come to our event. Both have demanding calendars.

Please click here for the actual invitation, which has more information. If paying online, just click on "make a donation" and put in the total amount under Unit Price Your name will be put on the list, which will be at the door.

Among other things, our monthly operating expenses include the fee for this newsletter and an ad that runs on Google. Recently we spent almost $1,500 to rescue Bobby. We could have paid the entire expense, but Friends of Animals wanted to split it with us. We always want to be in a position to pay for a carriage horse rescue. Our expenses also include maintaining two websites - www.banhdc.org and www.horseswithoutcarriages.org, web site design, fees for lobbying; government filing fees for various administrative papers, posters, flyers, copying expenses, graphic design. We have also made donations to horse rescues and sanctuaries. We are a 501(c) 4 and a registered lobby group.

Our biggest expense is advertising. In 2008, we ran an ad in one of the tourist magazines for six months that cost about $16,000 - and this was at reduced rates. We had saved up for 2 1/2 years in order to do this. In late 2008, with little money left, we commissioned a $3,000 ad to run the following February in the same magazine. The ad, pictured here was intended to target tourists who want to take a ride on Valentine's Day. We are now thinking of placing another ad in the same magazine to target the holiday crowd. November through the end of December attracts the most tourists to this trade. We have managed to be very frugal and get things donated when we can. Although your contributions certainly allow us to continue our work, what keeps us going and makes us effective are the people involved -- the motivation, intelligence, knowledge, creativity, persistence, intense interest and focus on this issue. That is priceless.

Regarding the horse with the odd looking hoof -- There is a chronic inactive (non-painful) swelling of the tendon sheath in this fetlock that is abnormal in appearance but at this time is not causing any lameness. She examined this horse in the stable, watching him walk and trot and palpated and flexed the limb in question. While she did not conclude that the horse was lame, she instructed the owner to have this horse shod. She also said that she has seen this resting pose in a horses before but agreed that it looked abnormal.

The horse owner who uses tape on the blinders of the bridle was warned and admonished that this is not a standard practice. These horses come from two different stables.

Hello -- have been reading things online about NYC's horse-drawn carriages and I am appalled. My two daughters and I took a carriage ride in Central Park in May when I visited NYC. It was something I had always wanted to do! Now I am ashamed that we did it. I foolishly thought that the horses were well-treated and had pastures! I had no idea they spent their time either on the street or in a cramped, boring stall. I will NEVER go on a carriage ride again!

That's what we like to hear!

We also have a new Facebook page called No Walk in the Park. And while you are there, please join another anti carriage horse page by a colleague called 212HorsePower