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 - CLICK HERE to get your own newsletter. In this issue: contact the mayor ** heat regulations - who is enforcing ** Bill Maher speaks out for carriage horses ** The City does have the right to know where the horses go ** Charleston horse carriage accident ** advertising ** sign petitions - Gili Islands, Uruguay ** Redemption film.
LOOK BACK AT PREVIOUS NEWSLETTERS - in our archives. Click Here.
PLEASE CONTACT MAYOR DEBLASIO
if you have not already done so
Contact Mayor deBlasio - tell him that you want a ban of horse-drawn carriages THIS YEAR. Ask him to move on this now. If he delays it for three years or if there is another accident, it will hurt him politically. Tell him that you voted for him because he promised to ban the trade - and even on the first day he took office, which we knew was an impossibility. Now he has put a time frame on it until the end of the year. Click Here. Please be respectful.
HOT SUMMER - REGULATIONS - WHO IS DOING ENFORCEMENT?
It is up to activists to figure out what is going on!
If last summer is any indicator, this summer promises to be a scorcher. The Farmer's Almanac predicts an oppressively hot and humid summer for NYC. The law requires that the drivers take their horses back to the stables when it reaches 90 degrees. Humidity is not a factor. However, the law also states that the designee of the Department of Health (which used to be the ASPCA) take the temperature at the hack line with a special state of the art thermometer. It cannot be the CNN clock temperature at Columbus Circle -- and it cannot be your iPhone or weather.com -- although they can certainly be used as reference. CLICK HERE for the section of law that covers the weather. It is � 17-330 Regulations. o. 2, 3, 4 & 5. The picture above shows the horses at the hack line. There is no shade and the horses stand on burning hot asphalt. Notice two things - the drivers are wearing hats for protection and they have no business Hmmm.
HERE'S THE RUB: The ASPCA gave up humane law enforcement as of January 1, 2014 - transferred to the NYPD. Unfortunately, many officers are not aware of this. This past week I called the Central Park Precinct and the NYPD Public Information. I got a run around, which was not unexpected. One told me that the NYPD does not enforce regulations over the carriage trade. I told him he was wrong. The NYPD asks for respect - they sport the CPR logo on their vehicles, which stands for "courtesy, professionalism and respect." Funny and pathetic. Both the deBlasio administration and the Bratton NYPD administration have done an unacceptable job at getting this transition up and running. I can only conclude that they do not care -- because if they did, we would not have this problem and I would not be writing about. So once again it is left up to us to figure out what is going on. BTW the media does not care either.
WE ARE LOOKING FOR RELIABLE AND DEPENDABLE VOLUNTEERS: Do you live or work in the vicinity of Central Park South (59th St.) and Columbus Circle/Seventh, Sixth or Fifth Avenue? We need people to be at the hack line with time & date stamped cameras and an understanding of the law to see if ANYONE is taking the temperature on very hot days and ordering the drivers to take their horses back to the stable. Contact us at coalition@banhdc.org
BILL MAHER SPEAKS OUT FOR THE CARRIAGE HORSES
When we first started this campaign in 2006, we stood on the sidewalk getting petition signatures on 5th Ave. near the hack line. One day none other than Bill Maher stopped by and signed. Thanks for your support for these animals, Bill - then and now.
NY Daily News - 6/18/14 - Bill Maher blasts Liam Neeson for backing city's carriage horse industry Maher, a New York native, said he's been bothered by the carriage horses for years, and has switched hotels to avoid being near Central Park and getting a whiff of the animals.
"I used to stay on Central Park and I would smell the horse sh-t and be constantly aware of this abuse going on and it bothered me and I had to move the hotel to someplace where I wasn't thinking about it all the time," he said.
"But it's obvious, you know, if anyone has ever seen a horse run wild, even in movies or whatever, you know that's the furthest from the way these animal should be. I mean they have a wonderful spirit and to get them to do that job, you have to completely break it." (photo - horse on very hot day by Mary Culpepper)
CARRIAGE DRIVER: CITY HAS NO RIGHT TO KNOW WHERE THE HORSES GO!
Move the carriage trade to the Bronx - see how many tourists they get there
TUESDAY'S HORSE: Retired NYC carriage horse records shoddy say animal activists We know the records are messed up and that the City does not require records when horses are sold outside NYC - as most are. But look what former NYC carriage driver says: Carriage operator Chantel Semanchik says it's no one's business what happens to the animals once they leave New York.
"If the city provided the stables, seed and hay, then the city can know where the horses go," said Semanchik, who runs a carriage business in New Jersey and takes in retired Central Park ponies. "But these are privately owned animals. The owners have the right to do what they want."
Excuse me! That's a pretty arrogant statement.
The City has infantilized these drivers for years; allowing them to get away with murder - little enforcement, except on paper; very low fees; very low insurance rates; allowing them to work in heavily congested tourist areas - with a hands off policy; renting Shamrock Stable for $5,000 monthly when the city could have collected $60,000.
Considering all of this - I say the city has every right to know where the horses end up. I suggest that the carriage trade be relocated to the Bronx - see how many tourists you get up there. And increase the insurance rates and license fees to match the pedicabs. (horse on super hot day by Mary Culpepper)
HORSE CARRIAGE ACCIDENT DU JOUR: CHARLESTON 6/19/14
"The whole house shook."
Charleston: "The whole house shook. Two of the five passengers were on the ground." Horses are large, powerful, high-strung animals who can spook and bolt at the slightest provocation - causing injury and death. What about that do carriage trade supporters not understand. Read the article. Click Here.
WE ARE ADVERTISING IN METRO
please donate what you can for our advertising campaign
We will continue to run ads in Metro as long as we can. Next week our ad will appear on Wednesday only.
you may donate here. Please remember we are all volunteer and do not take salaries. Every penny you donate is put back into the organization. We are the organization that began the "ban" campaign in 2006 and we plan to continue our ad campaign until this inhumane, unsafe and abusive trade is stopped. We are hoping Mayor deBlasio takes positive action soon.
Thanks to all of you who have donated to our campaign. It is much appreciated.
TWO CARRIAGE HORSE PETITIONS TO SIGN
Gili Islands and Uruguay - both call for a ban
- The petition for Uruguay is in Spanish but I have been told it asks for a ban. Click Here
- The Gili Islands in Indonesia is hell on earth for horses - Click Here
FILM: REDEMPTION, THE NO KILL REVOLUTION IN AMERICA
NYC premier -- this is a must see event
Join Nathan Winograd of the No Kill Advocacy Center as he tours the nation, screening his new film "Redemption -The No Kill Revolution in America," a story of betrayal, hope and compassion. Don't miss the opportunity to see this ground-breaking documentary and meet the filmmaker, Nathan Winograd, who is helping to change the course of history for homeless pets. The NYC screening will be followed by a Q&A, a book-signing, and a reception featuring wine and vegan hors d'oeuvres.
- WHEN: Wednesday July 16th - 6 to 10 PM
- WHERE: AMC Lowe's Village - 66 Third Ave. (near Union Square)
SIGN OUR PETITION TO BAN HORSE-DRAWN CARRIAGES IN NYC
to Mayor and City Council
If you have not already signed this important petition, please do so now. And please share with others. We want Mayor deBlasio to keep his campaign promise and shut down this inhumane and unsafe carriage trade. We do not want a 3-year phase out because it will not work. So please click here to sign the petition and please share it with your friends and colleagues.
PLEASE JOIN US ON OUR SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNTS
Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, Google Blog & Flickr
HELP OUR ORGANIZATION BY SHOPPING ON LINE - iGIVE
Also check out Cafe Press to purchase CBHDC merchandise
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 & Noble. Even Cafe Press is available if you purchase some of our merchandise. Click here to get started.
On iGive - the name of our organization is "The Coalition for NYC Animals, Inc." Click here to begin. 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.
"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.
