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9-04- January 25, 2015
 
 

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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 ** 5 Top Misconceptions about the carriage horse trade ** Call the City Council ** Your information requested ** Weather restrictions - what you can do ** Theirturn.net - on New Orleans trade ** ** PLEASE DONATE and be part of history

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.

TOP 5 MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT THE HORSE-DRAWN CARRIAGE TRADE IN NYC
Tuesday's Horse - 1/20/15 - by Elizabeth Forel
There are many misconceptions about the NYC horse-drawn carriage trade. The primary reason for this is because the media are mostly on the side of the carriage horse industry and have not reported fairly or honestly on this issue. Here are what I see as the top five most common misconceptions concerning the horse-drawn carriage industry in New York City. 1. If there is a ban, all the horses will go to slaughter.

Intro 573 - the new bill to ban horse-drawn carriages in NYC - prohibits the owners from sending their horses to slaughter. However, although the fine is high, the horses are privately owned and it will be up to the drivers whether they send their horses to slaughter or not. It will be difficult to track. Many organizations have offered homes for these horses. If the owners are willing, there is sanctuary space for all carriage horses. Since 2005, 581 horses have passed through the NYC carriage trade. The Department of Health does not require sales records for horses sold outside of NYC. We believe many have gone on to livestock auctions and then to slaughter.

Click here to continue and read the rest of the misconceptions.

IT'S 2015 - WE HAVE A BILL - INTRO 573 - LET'S GET IT PASSED.
Urgent: Please take action - call the City Council
TELEPHONE TUESDAY: You can call your Council Member any day but we call it Telephone Tuesday to help you remember. Please take a few minutes to call your council member if they have not yet signed on to the bill. Your participation is the only way to make a difference. Please do not stand on the side line and expect someone else to do it. If you do not make the small effort to call your Council Member, how do you expect they will know your views? This is link to INTRO 573 - the bill to ban horse-drawn carriages.

CLICK HERE to reach the Council web site to find out who your council member is. CALL the DISTRICT OFFICE - DO NOT E-MAIL OR FAX. These methods of communication are more likely to be ignored.

  • 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 if [your Council Member's name] supports Intro 573, the bill to ban horse-drawn carriages. You might also tell them it is a public safety issue and it is inhumane.
  • 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. Ask them if they keep track of these calls.
  • YOU: If they support a ban - thank them; If they are on the fence or opposed to the ban ask them why and if they would be open to receiving more information.
  • 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 general office e-mail. You can say that you want to be sure someone receives it. Contact us for assistance with this. [email protected]
  • 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. Follow up.
  • RESULT OF PHONE CALL: Please let us know what happened - e-mail us at [email protected]

OTHER CALLERS: this is for out-of-towners; those whose representatives have already signed on to the bill; and those whose representatives are opposed to a ban (you will find out who they are when you call.) Illegal U-turn image by R. Delgado.

  • CALL THESE COUNCIL MEMBERS ON THE TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE:
  • James Vacca - (Bronx) 718-931-1721
  • Deborah Rose - (Staten Island) 718-556-7370
  • David G. Greenfield - 718-853-2704
  • Antonio Reynoso - 718-963-3141
  • Daniel Garodnick - 212-818-0580
WHAT ELSE CAN YOU DO:
  • Visit the District Office of your Council Member. Tell them that you are a constituent and want the CM to support Intro 573. Ask for a meeting. Bring a hand written letter to the Council Member - this will go a long way.
  • Call your Council Member every week if they are undecided to remind them that you would like them to support Intro 573. Don't be shy. They represent you.

YOUR INFORMATION REQUESTED
Please help us move this campaign to the next level
I recently put out a request asking for your contact information so we can move to the next level -- thanks to those who have already provided it. We need to target the NY City Council much more than we have been doing. This is crucial to support this legislation. We hope you will be involved. To that end, we need to collect the following information from you if you are a NYC resident.
  • Name (first and last)
  • Street address
  • City, State and zip code
  • Telephone Number
  • E-mail address
Please e-mail [email protected] -- or simply hit "reply" on this e-mail. NOTE: if you live outside of NYC and want to be more involved, please provide the same information requested.

Please know that we will not share your personal information with anyone. Thank you for helping the horses. Together, we can do this.

FODOR'S ADVISES TOURISTS AGAINST TAKING A CARRIAGE RIDE
"Don't Take a Horse-Carriage Ride"
For years, both Fodor's and Frommer's travel guides have advised tourists against taking a carriage ride in NYC. Fodor's most recent piece entitled 15 Things Not to Do in NYC from HuffPost Travel, dated 1/21/15, includes #7:

No matter how many times you've been to New York, the city can overwhelm you with its plethora of sights, museums, restaurants, activities and more. Unfortunately, many visitors make the mistake of spending their precious vacation time on the wrong things, or go about seeing the city in the wrong way. To prevent you from avoiding common mistakes, eating at the wrong places, and spending your money on the wrong things, we compiled this comprehensive list. Follow this expert advice on what not to do in New York City -- forget Times Square -- and you're guaranteed to have a great time. By Michael Alan Connel: #7 - DON'T TAKE A HORSE CARRIAGE RIDE - The city government is in the midst of a protracted political battle over potentially banning horse carriages from city streets, so there's no telling how long they'll even be around. But even so, there's something unseemly about forcing horses to share territory with honking cars, zooming cyclists, and gregarious pedestrians, and paying for a carriage ride is one way of supporting the industry. The idea of a horse pulling you through Central Park may be a nice one, but it's best to leave it as an idea.

WEATHER RESTRICTIONS - WHAT TO DO
blizzard expected by Monday night. Horses should not be out.
snow storm 2 Winter in NYC can bring some very cold and snowy days. If the weather is 18 degrees Fahrenheit or below, the NYPD is supposed to suspend the carriage trade. They are also supposed to do this with snow, icy conditions and heavy rain. Let's make sure they do: Here are numbers to call if you see a carriage out under these circumstances. Get the license number and location:
  • MOUNTED UNIT - 212-868-2585
  • CENTRAL PARK PRECINCT - (212) 570-4820
  • MIDTOWN NORTH PRECINCT - (212) 767-8400
  • REPORT TO 311 - by phone or ON LINE.

This picture, taken by Donny Moss, occurred a few years ago since NYC has not yet been hit by a serious snow storm this year. The carriage trade should have been suspended that day, but it was not out of negligence by the ASPCA. The drivers often ignore the law, more interested in making a buck.

CARRIAGE MULE DIES IN NEW ORLEANS
swept under the proverbial rug
As in NYC, there is a lot of corruption in carriage horse businesses around the country. Why? Because most of them resent having any restrictions on how they run their business. While they love the entitlements - like low fees, lax law enforcement and the opportunity to ply their trade in heavy tourist areas, they love the policy of Laissez-faire when it suits their purposes. Hands off.

Read Theirturn's take on the death of a mule in New Orleans -- 1/23/15 - Carriage Company in New Orleans Disposed of Dead Mule Before SPCA could Conduct Autopsy.

HELP OUR ORGANIZATION BY SHOPPING ONLINE - iGIVE
If you buy online, you can help the Coalition to Ban Horse-Drawn Carriages
igive Through a free registration with iGive, when you buy merchandise on line, your purchase will help us. Many organizations give a percentage of the sale to not for profit organizations at no cost to you. There are more than 1500 stores that include such popular ones as Amazon.com, Staples, Best Buy and Barnes & Noble. Click here to get started.

On iGive - the name of our organization is "The Coalition for NYC Animals, Inc." Click here to begin.

PLEASE JOIN US ON OUR SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNTS
Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, Google Blog & Flickr

"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.