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8-29 August 24, 2014
 
 

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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 - In this issue: * * demo at Gracie Mansion ** BuzzFeed - Drivers Behaving Badly ** Call your Council Member ** Our ad in City and State ** Fashion designer gloms on to carriage horse issue **

NOTE: the best way to receive this newsletter is to subscribe directly. Although I post it on other lists, sometimes (for reasons unknown) they do not approve it - so you are subject to their whims. PLEASE CLICK HERE to subscribe directly. If you want to see past newsletters - CLICK HERE for our archive.

URGENT: DEMO AT GRACIE MANSION - TUESDAY EVE. 8/26
Promises made are promises made to be kept.
Enough is Enough! He promised to ban horse-drawn carriages when he got into office. Many people voted for him because of this. We were delighted that we finally seemed to have a kindred spirit in our new mayor. But here it is 10 months since Mayor deBlasio was elected and he has not kept that promise.

The horse-drawn carriage trade continues with all of its inhumanity, its many accidents; lack of meaningful law enforcement, lack of safety - made stronger by the lies perpetrated by the NY Daily News, Teamsters and Working Families Party - lies that go unchallenged by the Mayor's office. We have been very patient, waiting for some action. But nothing has happened and we have reached our breaking point. We say enough is enough.

Please stand up for these exploited carriage horses and join the Coalition to Ban Horse-Drawn Carriages for a peaceful focused rally outside Gracie Mansion, the symbol of mayoral power in NYC.

  • WHEN: Tuesday evening August 26, 2014
  • WHERE: East 88th St. and East End Avenue at Gracie Mansion
We will let Mayor deBlasio know that we are very disappointed that he has not kept his promise. Our presence should remind him that we are the people who helped put him in office. We still hope the mayor will take action and do what he promised.

NYC CARRIAGE DRIVERS BEHAVING BADLY
Must See: pictorial piece in Buzzfeed
This is a must see so I am running it again this week. Since our Mayoral demonstration is Tuesday, I want to point out that we have made official complaints to the Mayor's office, the Department of Health and the Department of Consumer Affairs. They ignore us! This is a new offering in Buzzfeed by the Coalition to Ban Horse-Drawn Carriages called NYC Carriage Drivers Behaving Badly.

"They whitewash their license plates; do not pay attention to the road, make illegal U-turns; leave their horses unattended and pull them by the bit - and still this tiny (but protected) industry manages to survive. WHY do these violations matter? Because failure to adhere to these basic laws-and basic rules of horsemanship-endangers the public safety."

Please vote at the bottom of the article on Buzzfeed - this will assure that more people see it. You can choose an icon.

URGENT: PLEASE CALL THE CITY COUNCIL
about banning the horse-drawn carriage trade (no e-mails or faxes)
If you have not already called, please take the time to do so this coming week. Your Council Member needs to know how their constituents feel about this issue. Eight and one half months into the deBlasio administration 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

Instructions

  • http://www.council.nyc.gov/html/members/members.shtml
  • Plug in your address to find out who your Council Member is.
  • Look for the telephone number for the District Office.
  • SUGGESTED SCRIPT - YOU: Good morning, my name is [your name] and I am a constituent. I live on [your address] I support an unconditional ban on horse-drawn carriages and I would like to know what [your Council Member's name] position is on this issue. You might also tell them it is a public safety issue and it is inhumane. If you live outside of NYC, call Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito's office and tell them were you live.
  • COUNCIL OFFICE: the person who answers the phone may transfer you to someone else or suggest you call the Legislative Office or actually take the message.
  • YOU: If they support a ban - thank them; If they are on the fence ask them why and if they would be open to receiving some links to articles. If they are against the ban - ask them why and if they would be open to receiving some links to articles.
  • IMPORTANT: If they say they would be willing to receive some information, ask them for the e-mail address of a specific person - maybe the Chief of Staff, maybe the Legislative Aide. Do not agree to send it to their office e-mail. You can say that you want to be sure someone receives it.
  • Note: If the Council Office is not able to give you an answer, tell them that you will follow up in a week. Tell them this is a very important issue and you would like an answer. And follow up.
THESE ARE THE ARTICLE LINKS:
  • IT'S A SAFETY ISSUE http://carriagehorsesnyc.blogspot.com/2014/07/its-safety-issue.html this article is about the innate nature of a horse and why they should not be in the streets of NYC
  • MOST PEOPLE WANT A BAN OF HORSE-DRAWN CARRIAGES http://carriagehorsesnyc.blogspot.com/2014/07/nyc-most-people-want-ban-of-horse-drawn.html
  • LIAM, LIES AND MORE LIES - this is about the lies perpetrated by Liam Neeson and the carriage trade. http://carriagehorsesnyc.blogspot.com/2014/06/liam-lies-and-more-lies.html
RESULT OF PHONE CALL: Please let us know what happened - e-mail us at coalition@banhdc.org

THIS IS OUR AD IN CITY & STATE
Please help us continue our advertising.
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 donate what you can to help this ad campaign continue. We have come to the end of our Metro ad campaign but hope to start it up again soon. 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. We cannot do it without your help. Click here if you would like to donate.

Please read the accompanying article "It's a Safety Issue."

DESPERATE FASHION DESIGNER HOOKS UP WITH CARRIAGE DRIVERS
too much competition from other better designers to make it on his own
NY Activists to Crash Fashion Designer's Horse-Drawn Carriage Runway Show - - The News Victor de Souza, a celebrity fashion designer who has created dresses for Katy Perry, Lady Gaga and Rihanna, is using horse-drawn carriages in the busy streets of Midtown Manhattan for his September 3rd runway show. The Argentinean designer says the horses perfectly represent the "romantic" vision of his collection. Activists who have been fighting to end NYC's inhumane, unsafe and archaic horse-drawn carriages will crash this last ditch promotion of the industry. NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio has promised to take the carriages off the streets by the end of the year.

If NYC's horse-drawn carriage trade wasn't the subject of a highly publicized war between the industry and those who want to ban it, would Mr. de Souza have chosen to use carriages in his fashion show? Probably not. De Souza knows this stunt will get press coverage because of the controversy (it already has), and he knows he will get even more press coverage because of the planned protests. Is all PR good PR? Maybe - unless a horse spooks on the "runway," and a fashion model flies head first onto the pavement. Perhaps de Souza will cancel the show if he feels he has already received enough free publicity. Please sign PETA's petition and, if you live in the NYC area, join the protest. Finally, please watch the award-winning documentary film BLINDERS if have any questions about why horse-drawn carriages must be banned from NYC.

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
igive 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.

Thank you for caring about the horses, Elizabeth Forel - Coalition to Ban Horse-Drawn Carriages - a standing committee of The Coalition for New York City Animals, Inc.

Please DONATE to our campaign to ban the inhumane and unsafe carriage horse industry.