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 FRIENDS AND COLLEAGUES - Avella Press Conference ** media coverage ** Daily News article & poll ** Twitter & Facebook ** Worthless Reforms **
NOTICE: Please follow us on Twitter @BanHDCarriages
PRESS CONFERENCE - CARRIAGE HORSES
Sunday, November 13th at noon - great turnout in support of bill
We had a great turnout for Senator Tony Avella's press conference on the steps of City Hall last Sunday, November 13th. Senator Avella and Assemblymember Linda Rosenthal are sponsoring companion bills in the state legislature to ban horse-drawn carriages. (See next section below)
The rally was covered by the following media:
SUPPORT BILL TO BAN HORSE-DRAWN CARRIAGES IN ALBANY
Sign petition but also call your representative
Please help us make this petition viral. Sign it if you have not done so already and pass it on to friends and colleagues.Click Here.
The bill to ban horse-drawn carriages in NYC is S5013 in the NYS Senate and A7748 in the NYS Assembly. It is referred to as the bill that PROHIBITS THE OPERATION OF HORSE DRAWN CABS IN THE CITY OF NEW YORK.
- IN ADDITION TO SIGNING THE PETITION - PLEASE CALL YOUR REPRESENTATIVES.
- Senate - Click here for the Senate site; find your Senator and call the district/local office.
- Assembly - Click here for the Assembly site; find your Assemblymember and call the district office
- Everyone has one Senator and one Assemblymember representing them.
For all those who live outside NYS, you may call these offices and show your support as tourists:
- Senator Tony Avella - 1-718-357-3094
- Assemblymember Linda Rosenthal - 1-212-873-6368
- Let them know that you are a potential tourist to NYC and that you support their bill to ban horse-drawn carriages.
HORSES WITHOUT CARRIAGES INTERNATIONAL DAY
Saturday December 3rd Rally
Please join us for a rally and demonstration against the inhumane and unsafe carriage horse trade.
- When: Saturday, December 3rd - 1:00 pm
- Where: north/west corner Central Park South and Fifth Avenue - near the hack line
Horses Without Carriages International is an international coalition of activists from many cities who are working to end the horse-drawn carriage trade in their city. We take joint action on the first Saturday in June and the first Saturday in December at the beginning of the holiday season.
"REFORM LEGISLATION" DOES NOT WORK
It is a waste of time and resources and a stall technique
We formed the Coalition to Ban Horse-Drawn Carriages in early 2006 in response to the tragic accident that killed Spotty, a five-year old carriage horse on his way back to the stable. We knew that the campaign to shut down the trade would be very difficult. We knew that we would have to educate the media, the public and legislators from scratch. But it was time. No more reform bills that go nowhere; no more being held hostage by a politically connected industry. We did just that. We put this issue on the map. And we have not wavered from our original campaign because we know we are right. No one owns us. We have no conflict of interest. We also realize the current political climate is not one in which any bill to shut down the industry will happen. This is why it is so important to get the right person as mayor in 2013. We do not support anyone at this time. We continue to use our energy wisely to get the truth out and to support the state bill to ban the industry.
We are very disappointed that the ASPCA and NY-Class are trying to divert the conversation away from a ban of the industry, by introducing a reform bill. It takes attention off the fact that it's been almost four years and we are no closer to getting the electric car bill passed - or apparently funded. At $175,000 per car, the project will cost almost $12,000,000 when it is finally rolled out - if it ever is. There are 68 carriage horse medallions and each one is supposed to be traded for a car over a three-year period. 68 cars at any one time will be too many on the street. There are too many unanswered questions about this electric car project.
THE SPECIFICS THAT ARE BEING SUGGESTED
You need to ask WHY!
REFORMS? Recently these organizations had a press conference talking about the reforms that they are suggesting. The industry, which is a player in this proposal, will never agree to it. They will not compromise with anyone who is trying to shut them down. Not one degree here, nor one hour there.
Quinn and Bloomberg will not support this bill because it would cripple the industry they both support. Unlike with Intro 35, which was an industry drafted bill, the owners will not be willing to negotiate anything. Yet, unless people understand how the City Council and Administration work, the ASPCA will get everyone's hopes up lobbying council members and wasting time. This hurts all of our efforts to ban the industry. There must be some "old experience" at the ASPCA that knows this kind of bill will never fly. So the question is, do they naively think these bills have a chance -- or is it just more subterfuge to divert attention from the electric car bill until the mayoral election in 2013? It is a well known fact that Steve Nislick from NY class supports Christine Quinn for mayor. It is also a well known fact that Quinn has defeated any meaningful animal bill since she has been in office. Ask those questions. Please do not just accept what you are being spoon fed.
RESTRICTING HORSES TO CENTRAL PARK? A proposal like "restricting the horses to Central Park" does not mean anything because this is essentially where they work now. They will still be using 9th and 10th Avenues to travel to and from the stables; will still be working on Central Park South outside the park. This is where most of the accidents happen. The only thing it will eliminate is working in the Times Square, Lincoln Center and Rockefeller Center area and this does not happen until late in the day. It will cut into the industry's income. In 1989, a "reform" bill was passed, which restricted the horses to the park. There was such an uproar from the industry side that a sunset clause was added to the new law causing it to expire in 1993. This also resulted in the industry suing Peggy Parker, head of the Carriage Horse Action Committee; Holly Cheever, DVM and the ASPCA. The suit was eventually dropped. In 1994 a new bill was passed, which repealed the 1989 law. The horses, once again, were allowed to work outside the Central Park area. See the history by clicking here.
ONE HOUR OF EXERCISE? Where are the horses going to get one hour of "exercise" a day? What they really need is turnout to pasture and there is none available. As herd animals, they need at least one acre per horse for turnout. They need to be with other horses, to be able to graze, roll, run, buck, scratch an itch against a tree - and to mutually groom each other - a great stress reducer. But not "one hour of exercise." In addition to this being an absurd proposal, it is not enforceable. Currently the law requires a 15 minute break every two hours, which is never enforced.
FIVE DAY WORK WEEK? Since there is no turnout to pasture, where are these horses going to be during their two days off? Tied up in their stall? That contributes to any number of ailments Besides, how will it be enforced? Will the horses be staggered in their days off, which will be impossible to enforce - -or will the trade be shut down for two days?
OUR POSITION: We are absolutely not opposed to reducing the effectiveness of the industry -- but we know it has to be all or nothing. We also do not like the subterfuge that is going on. From my experience in this area going back to the early 1990s, reforms are not going to happen because the industry has political cover. Keep this in mind -- If Quinn would be willing to back these reforms, which would obviously cripple the industry, she would also be of a mind to support a ban, which is what we really want and which we know she is not willing to do. We do not think a ban will happen with the current NYC administration, which is why we are asking you to support the Avella/Rosenthal bill. Please put your efforts into something that is possible. The City Council does not have any power when it comes to legislation -- no matter how many of them sign on to a bill. All the power and control lie with Speaker Christine Quinn and Mayor Bloomberg.
FINAL NOTE: We too are very organized, but also angry, and we have always had a plan to end the abuse of NYC carriage horses.
How could we not be organized - we are still in this campaign and we are the ones who put the issue on map when the ASPCA was busy sometimes enforcing the laws. We recognize how difficult it is.
Anyone who wants a ban of the horse-drawn carriage industry should be angry -- and even more so to see the manipulation and deception that is going on. Please support the Avella/Rosenthal bill - it is the only real bill out there. Our position is to get to the truth and if that means criticizing the ASPCA and NY-Class for not doing the right thing, then that is how it must be. But we have no conflicts of interest and just want the horses off the street and away from this inhumane and unsafe trade. We would like nothing better then to be on the same page with these organizations, but as it is now, the subterfuge is just too great to go unnoticed. Please take your blinders off and see what is going on!
DAILY NEWS ARTICLE ON CARRIAGE HORSE ISSUE
Poll included - please vote YES - click on link - scroll down on right
Calls grow to ban carriage horses, but owners defend iconic rides - Several animals have suffered accidents and death -- BY Tina Moore & Matthew Deluca - 11/20/11 -- Roy the Belgian-bred carriage horse clops up 11th Ave. past double-parked trucks, neighing as honking taxis and livery cabs zip past on his mile-long trek to Central Park. He doesn't know it, but fighting midtown traffic isn't the only battle his owner and operator, Ian McKeever, has been waging.
"We hold New York's most important commodity in the palm of our hands - that's the tourist," said McKeever, the Irish-born owner of 11 carriage horses and Chateau Stables on W. 48th St. "We give them a gateway to New York."
But following a spate of headline-making incidents - including one where a horse dropped dead - opponents of the industry want to finally take that commodity permanently out of the hands of carriage horse drivers and owners like McKeever.
"Obviously, the number of accidents that have happened recently gives me ammunition to start talking to my fellow senators," said state Sen. Tony Avella, a former City Councilman Council member who has introduced legislation in Albany to ban the industry from its last vestige in the city.
"There's a reason horse-drawn carriages don't exist anymore," he said.
And last week, City Council Speaker Christine Quinn announced she will introduce legislation to increase veterinary oversight of carriage horses.
On Oct. 23, Charlie, a 15-year-old draft horse, shocked onlookers when he suddenly fell dead in Central Park, some 20 days after his debut pulling carriages along city streets.
While the cause of death is still not known, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, which polices the industry, said Charlie suffered from ulcers and had a fractured tooth.
Dr. Pamela Corey, an ASPCA veterinarian, initially concluded in a report on Charlie's death that the agency was concerned the horse was forced to work through painful maladies.
But Corey later tried to change her statement to say Charlie's labors didn't contribute to his death - a move that raised eyebrows. The agency then suspended her. CONTINUED
SOCIAL MEDIA
Yes we are on Twitter and Facebook -- please join us
We are also in the middle of getting our web site revamped so do not have links to Facebook and Twitter -- but we do have very active accounts. Both Facebook and Twitter are great complements to our weekly e-newsletter and we encourage you to participate with us. Are you on Twitter? If not -- it is easy to sign up. Click here. The Coalition tweets, and we've had a great response. This is a way to stay in touch with us, in real time. We encourage all to "follow" us on Twitter @BanHDCarriages. We'll keep you up to date about accidents, events, demonstrations, actions we'd like you to take, and other ways to help. The messages are short - only 140-characters maximum.
Our official Facebook page is No Walk in the Park. It is an open page and we invite you to "Like" us. We generally post news there as it comes in. We have another page called Horses Without Carriages International, which is tied in with our international coalition
REPORT HORSE INCIDENTS - IF YOU SEE SOMETHING - SAY SOMETHING
Be our eyes and ears
If you see a carriage horse incident, please notify coalition@banhdc.org.
- Take pictures (crucial) - videos or stills
- Record exact location of accident - ex. - north/west corner of 60th St. and Broadway
- Get 4-digit license plate number from back of carriage
- Provide a narrative - description of what happened
- Note: don't worry if you are not sure if what you saw was illegal. We will figure it out. The most important thing is to get the information to us.
You will help to make a difference for these horses.
INTERESTING ARTICLE ABOUT CHRISTINE QUINN
City Hall News - 11/17/11
Quinn's Efforts For Jailed Councilman Questioned - By Chris Bragg. This article discusses what happened when a Council Member was arrested during the Occupy Wall Street eviction.
This comment is by Donny Moss and worth publicizing. Donny is the director of "Blinders: the Truth Behind the Tradition, " a documentary about the horse-drawn carriage industry. "The "fear of retaliation" from Christine Quinn doesn't just cause Council Members to "speak on the condition of anonymity." It controls the way they vote in the City Council. By having absolute control over the Council's discretionary funds, lulus and the legislative agenda, Speaker Quinn has so much power that the Council Members are virtually crippled in their ability to vote their conscience and represent their constituents. Why don't we see more stories about the utter lack of democracy under Quinn's leadership?"
HELP OUR ORGANIZATION BY SHOPPING ON LINE
Through a free registration with iGive, when you buy merchandise on line, your purchase will help us. There are over 700 stores that include such popular ones as Amazon.com, Staples, Best Buy and Barnes & Nobles. Even Cafe Press is available if you purchase some of our merchandise. Click here to get started.
JOIN US ON FACEBOOK & SIGN ONLINE PETITION
See our 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 . Horses Without Carriages International also has a Facebook page. Please join!
"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.
