Horses Without Carriages International www.horseswithoutcarriages.org

Many people are much more aware of animal cruelty and suffering nowadays and do not want to be a part of it. Carriage horses never have a nice day. They do not have the option of saying yes or no.Pulling tourists is their job - a job that was forced on them. As prey animals they are conditioned to protect themselves against potential threats - real or perceived - and to react quickly. That is why we often hear of horses spooking and bolting into traffic to get away from their source of fear, which can be a loud noise or even a rustling leaf. They are massive in size and strength, and as they gallop down a congested street they can cause injury and death to themselves and others.

Working tightly restrained between the shafts of the carriage and wearing blinders, horses are denied their most basic instincts, even the ability to scratch an itch. By law, they may work nine hours a day, seven days a week. They are supposed to get a 15- minute break every two hours but this law is not enforced. CONTINUED - CLICK HERE

OUR RESPONSE:

• Intro 35A was an industry sponsored bill. Its real purpose was to give the drivers a rate increase. Any changes were simply a codifying of conditions that already existed. This was first stated by the ASPCA.
• See my video on YouTube that addressed this bill, which was unfortunately signed into law in early 2010. It is called Carriage Horse Legislation NYC.
• STALL SIZE: The required size of a stall went from 48 square feet to 60 square feet - a mere 12 sq. ft. more. Experts recommend at least 144 sq. feet for standard bred horses and 196 sq. ft. for larger draft breeds so the size is still grossly inadequate -- less than half what it should be. The industry also likes to refer to their stalls as "box stalls" suggesting that they are large. This is simply a configuration of stall type and has nothing to do with size.
• TURNOUT: Besides being inappropriate and inadequate, the 5-week furlough provision is not enforceable. The ASPCA officers are not required to visit these sites. What is really needed is daily turnout to pasture, which is non existent in NYC. It is a travesty to think that this provision is supposed to substitute for this much-needed respite.
• The former/suspended ASPCA vet, Pamela Corey, was quoted in a November 2nd NY Post article as saying "We have observed some horses returning to New York City after furloughs on a farm in worse condition than when they left."
• The only protection for "harsh weather conditions" was the requirement of a horse blanket, which was actually already on the books. We have observed that some drivers provide covering for their horses and others do not.
• AGE: The age limitation is listed as 26, which according to some experts is equivalent to 70 or 80 in human years -- and this is just for acquiring new horses. Owners can work their horses past that age if they choose.
• VET EXAMS: The requirement for veterinary exams every 4 to 8 months did not help Charlie, the horse who dropped dead on October 28th on NYC streets. The standard vet exam, which was already inadequate, was not changed. The reports I have seen are virtually illegible. Their vet consultants are pro carriage horse trade and have testified for the industry at Council hearings

Please do not believe everything you read, particularly when it comes from strong supporters of the industry such as Mayor Bloomberg and Speaker Quinn. We believe the motive for these letters is to get support for Christine Quinn's mayoral campaign and to make one think that she actually cares about these horses. She does not. Intro 35A was a bad bill for carriage horses. It did almost nothing to help them.

This is a fascinating article by the Citizens' Union about stipends - see their LULU WATCH. Click here. Interesting that Ferraras accepted hers. The article goes on to say: "The New York Daily News has called the system one in "which the speaker can buy votes with money instead of winning them on the merits," and has pointed out that other legislatures operate differently. In Congress, every representative gets the same pay, regardless of seniority or responsibility, and therefore, the speaker of the House does not have the power to punish members when they disagree."

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.

Thanks to all of you who have purchased a Charlie Tag. Please Note: When you send in a donation, you must indicate that you want a Charlie tag. If you pay by check, write it in the memo section of the check. If by PayPal, please enter "Charlie Tag" where it asks for a description. If you sent in a donation, expecting a Charlie tag but did not receive one, please e-mail me at coalition@banhdc.org and we will send one out. This helps us to raise some needed funds and to remember Charlie. The tag reads:

• CHARLIE
• 10-23-11 R.I.P.
• NEW YORK CITY
• CARRIAGE HORSE
• WWW.BANHDC.ORG

There had been no real action for the horses since 1995. In 2000, the ASPCA tried and failed to get a Council Member to sponsor an "improvements" bill. They gave up without trying hard. For me, it was an issue that had gotten my soul and I could not forget these horses. Then on January 2, 2006, a young five-year old horse named Spotty was returning to his stable on 9th Avenue and 50th St. when he spooked at something -- it could have been a loud noise, a sudden move - we do not know. He bolted into traffic, throwing his driver who ended up in a coma, and crashing into a station wagon, wrapping himself over the top with his head on the other side. Tragic. He was so badly injured that he was euthanized on the spot probably by a gun shot to the head -- but it was the shot heard around the world -- or at least among animal activists who were opposed to this inhumane business.

You will help to make a difference for these horses. The media learned of six of the last seven accidents from us - the Coalition to Ban Horse-Drawn Carriages. And we learned about it from you!! It makes sense that the DoH and ASPCA know about more -- we have requested this information from both the ASPCA and the DoH and we are still waiting. The public has a right to know just how unsafe and inhumane this industry is. (picture is of ASPCA car parked off 6th Avenue in the park on 12/24. The driver never got out of his warm car. There was no way he was able to monitor the carriage drivers. Outrageous.)

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.

On I-Give - the name of our organization is "The Coalition for NYC Animals, Inc. ." We also have three stores on Cafe Press with great t-shirts, bags, hats, mugs, mouse pads, etc. . Purchasing this merchandise helps our organization. Click here.