Horses Without Carriages International www.horseswithoutcarriages.org

We are hoping Mayor deBlasio takes action soon.

The conditions under which these iconic horses live and work are widely known, having been reported for years not only by organizations like Friends of Animals, the ASPCA, The Coalition to Ban Horse-Drawn Carriages, and NYCLASS, but by the media as well. I offer them here because the industry's public relations efforts are deflecting our attention away from them. 1. The work is dangerous and relentless, and there's no reward for a hard day's work. New York City has the highest horse-drawn carriage accident rate in the entire country. The horses work as much as 63 hours a week in extremes of weather and challenging traffic conditions. After their shifts, they are taken not to a pasture to graze and relax, but to a tiny stall, where they remain until they are removed to begin this cycle again. While they theoretically receive "5 weeks' vacation" per year, many return underweight, according to Elizabeth Forel, president of the Coalition to Ban Horse-Drawn Carriages. "No one knows where the horses go during these "vacations," she explains, "and many return thin and exhausted." CONTINUED CLICK HERE.

For these reasons, I recommend a ban on city carriage horse rides be implemented in each municipality, unless the horses can be restricted to a park or other area where they will not need to compete with motor vehicles for road space, and where their stabling provides the essentials of comfortable, humane, and safe housing, including the provision of daily "turn-out." In debating whether urban carriage horse rides are benign entertainment or an inherently abusive misuse of animals, we must examine relevant aspects of the horses' lives, care, and use in the hazardous (to horses) and busy city environment, including the horses' source, health, training, stabling, proper management, availability of veterinary care, rest periods, and final disposition when they are no longer capable of pulling carriages. CONTINUED - CLICK HERE.

What is a member of the police force doing advising a private group how to handle lawful protesters and possibly, avoid the law? And why not counsel these two members of CONA in raising the standards of living for their animals and putting some decent weight on many of them? Voluntarily fixing a lot of these issues would mean fewer complaints from animal activists, would it not? Aside from being an all-around bad idea, Burse's talk appears to be a rather problematic conflict of interest. His impartiality and the impartiality of his department now becomes suspect. In a worse-case scenario, conflict can become misconduct. Burse holds a position where he may be required to mete out criticism or enforcement to carriage owners, which apparently hardly anyone ever does, because those charged with enforcing the laws are either unwilling or unable to recognize violations or health/lameness issues with horses. READ MORE - CLICK HERE.

An Irish animal rights group has spoken out on this topic criticizing Neeson - ""He may be able to act and string lines together, but when it comes to understanding the suffering horses endure in all weather extremes often in suffocating traffic fumes in the carriage trade, sadly Mr. Neeson has been a flop. The Irish public is commending Mayor de Blasio in his progressive efforts to retire this outdated industry in favour of a New York City that can hold its head up high with streets that do not harbour horse abuse."