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: ** ETSY FOR ANIMALS - we are charity of the month ** New blog - Daily News embarrassment ** Contact the City Council ** New ad in City & State ** ads continue in Metro ** Gili Islands petition ** Demo 8/26
There was a problem with distribution for last week's newsletter. If you missed it - particularly the Open Letter to Mayor deBlasio - click here.
ETSY FOR ANIMALS - WE ARE THE CHARITY OF THE MONTH
a percentage of their sales will go to our campaign
Etsy for Animals (EFA) aka Artists Helping Animals, is a team of independent artists, craftspeople, vintage sellers on Etsy.com who are dedicated to providing charitable relief to animals by donating a portion of the profits from their shops to an animal charity of their choosing, and/or to EFA's featured Charity of the Month.
We are very grateful to ETSY for choosing us to be Etsy's Charity of the Month.
Please shop Team EFA and Purchase a Team EFA product that benefits the Coalition to Ban Horse-Drawn Carriages this month. CLICK HERE for items that are available for sale. Please consider purchasing gifts for birthdays, holidays or yourself. A percentage of all purchases goes to our organization for the campaign to ban horse-drawn carriages
Please read Horse of a Different Color - excerpted from the original on One Green Planet - for Etsy. Carriage horses are neither work horses nor war horses.
HORSES SPOOK! IS THE CITY WILLING TO CONTINUE THIS GAMBLE?
our new advertising campaign in City & State
Our new ad campaign can be seen in City & State, a publication that reaches government officials -- decision makers who are responsible for public safety. What the media has lost sight of in their quest to bring down Mayor deBlasio, is that the very nature of the horse makes this majestic animal unsuitable to work on the crowded streets of NYC. They are serious accidents waiting to happen. Although gentle by nature, at 1,500 to 2,000 pounds, they can become uncontrollable, unwitting weapons when spooked. As prey animals, their nature is to respond to upsetting stimuli in a flight or fight manner. Horses are predictably unpredictable and there is no such thing as a "bomb proof" horse.
Unfamiliar sudden movements or loud noises will often trigger an innate anxiety in a horse, which may lead to panic and fear. Generally in the city, as with what recently happened with Pumpkin, (the horse who spooked a bolted on Central Park South) a horse will bolt into traffic, not caring where he is going or who is in his way. He wants desperately to distance himself from the source of danger. The horse is terrified for his life. Many of the NYC horse spooking accidents have come close to leaving dead people in their wake. There have been serious human injuries, including a few carriage drivers who were hospitalized in a coma.
''Spooking' can happen to even the best-trained and well-mannered horse... there is no such thing as an unspookable horse, nor can the average driver control it once it bolts.'' said horse expert and equine veterinarian, Holly Cheever D.V.M.
A few years ago, a carriage driver was trying to make an illegal u-turn with his horse, Oreo, on Central Park South. Oreo spooked when he encountered a big truck rumbling up the avenue. He bolted into traffic, lost his driver and ran up on the sidewalk - narrowly missing pedestrians. He continued to run down the street to 11th Avenue. That - as with Pumpkin, a recent accident - was a close call. When an out of control powerful horse comes running at you, he is not saying "excuse me, excuse me, sir, coming through." No - he is frantic and just wants to hot tail it away from the source of fear. He will trample you if you are in his way. For city officials to continue to allow this to happen is a huge mistake and very irresponsible.
In 2010, in Salzburg, Austria, a French tourist was knocked down and trampled by a runaway carriage horse who spooked and bolted. She died from her injuries. In 2007, there were two incidents each involving 5-year old girls and carriage horses that ended badly. In Tucson, little Brielle was sitting on a horse in a parade when several carriage horses behind her spooked. She was knocked from her horse and trampled to death. Later that year in St. Petersburg, Russia, another young girl fell from a carriage and was killed when the horse spooked and bolted. Here are a few other noteworthy accidents:
- In 2012, in the UK , a Swiss tourist fell from a carriage after the horse spooked and bolted, and died from her injuries.
- Iowa - In 2010, horses spooked in a parade and ran into the crowd, trampling and injuring 24 people - some seriously and killing a woman passenger who was thrown from the buggy.
- PETA'S list of accidents around the world.
Animal Aid, a UK animal rights group that has been working on this issue for years reports: There are numerous documented cases of both animal and human injuries, sometimes fatal, after carriage horses have become 'spooked'. A US survey of national carriage horse accidents revealed that:
- 85% of all accidents were the result of an animal spooking
- 70% of the time there was a human injury
- 22% of the time there was a human death
PLEASE CALL THE CITY COUNCIL
about banning the horse-drawn carriage trade (no e-mails or faxes)
It is almost August and we are no closer to shutting down the inhumane and unsafe carriage trade than we were one year ago. All we have are empty promises. Please contact your council member and ask him or her to support a bill to ban horse-drawn carriages. CALL THEM. Do not e-mail or fax. These methods of communication are likely to be deleted. Calls have much more impact and are less likely to be forgotten.
- NYC RESIDENTS: www.council.nyc.gov -- Call your Council Member.
- OUTSIDE NYC: Call Speaker Melissa Mark Viverito's office. 212-828-9800
SEND THESE TWO LINKS: Ask them to support a bill to ban horse-drawn carriages -- not a phase out - but an unconditional ban. Ask them for someone's e-mail address in their office (legislative person or chief of staff -- not the general office because that may be deleted) to send these two articles -- the first disputes all the Liam Neeson lies and the second is about a carriage driver who ignored the heat law:
We need to move this campaign along because unfortunately the Mayor's office - like Nero - is fiddling while Rome is burning. PLEASE TAKE THIS ACTION. IT SHOULD NOT TAKE LONGER THAN 5 MINUTES. WE ARE DEPENDING ON YOU TO TAKE THIS ACTION.
Thank you to those of you who have already done this. Please report back to us -- coalition@banhdc.org.
DAILY NEWS DELIVERS 40,000 SIGNATURES TO CITY HALL IN OPPOSITION TO A BAN
hahahahahahahahahahah - but it represents only .002% of their readership!
PLEASE read my rebuttal blog - link below. Look at this disgraceful childish cover by the NY Daily News, which is owned by billionaire Mort Zuckerman who also serves as their Editor-in-Chief. Mort can't seem to get over the fact that Christine Quinn, his mayoral pick in the election, came in a distant third in the primary. They claim a readership (print and online of 17,309,165.
In this "campaign" they are in partnership with the Teamsters who claim 1.4 million members nationwide. THIS IS ONLY .002% of their total readership and members. Surely the Teamsters could have bullied their members into signing the petition. After all, they bully everyone else who gets in their way.
But 40,000 signatures!? Is this the best that the Daily News could do? They ran this cover this past week in response to the Mayor not giving them the time of day. . . Immature? Childish? Tantrum behavior - yes all of the above.
This is my rebuttal: SO -- THIS IS THE BEST THE DAILY NEWS COULD DO?!
WE CONTINUE TO ADVERTISE IN METRO
please donate what you can for our advertising campaign
We will continue to run ads in Metro as long as we can. Please help us to continue.
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.
This ad ran last week and features a wonderful horse named Greta who enjoys life at an equine rescue. This week, we will advertise on Tuesday and Thursday. Thanks to all of you who have donated to our campaign. It is much appreciated. We cannot do it without your help.
HORSES AND THE HEAT: IS THAT ALL THERE IS AT PLAY HERE?
a good article and contribution to the issue by the Bronx Chronicle.
This is worth reading for information on the law regulating the carriage horses and the heat. Click here.
NEXT EDUCATIONAL CARRIAGE HORSE DEMO: SATURDAY JULY 28TH
Please join the Coalition to Ban Horse-Drawn Carriages to educate tourists on the inhumane and unsafe horse-drawn carriage trade.
- WHEN: Saturday July 26th - 1 to 3:00 pm
- WHERE: usual place - Hack line - north side of Central Park South off Fifth Avenue.
- POSTERS: we have a lot but you are always welcome to bring your own.
Please take a few hours to stand up for the carriage horses.
PLEASE SIGN PETITION FOR GILI ISLAND HORSES
the activists need 5,000 for upcoming meeting
The conditions for carriage horses on the Gili Islands in Indonesia are dismal but the activists are not giving up. They have a proposal to substitute a moderately priced Tuk Tuk for the horses. Please help. This is the petition. Please sign.
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.
