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Call for ban on horse and carriages in NYC continues as horse collapses

What some call their livelihood others call cruelty

ANTOINETTE KELLY,

IrishCentral Staff Writer

Published Friday, December 9, 2011, 7:54 AM

Updated Friday, December 9, 2011, 1:15 PM

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Call for ban on horse and carriages in Central park

Photo by Google Images

'Horses frighten very easily,' Edita Birnkrant, New York director of advocacy group Friends of Animals, told the Times. 'The noises of New York City, the chaos, it is all just an inherently dangerous environment, and they don’t belong here.'

As both activists and carriage horse owners both concede now, controversy seems to surround almost every aspect of the industry. When a carriage horse named Charlie died in October, the A.S.P.C.A. chief equine veterinarian, Doctor Pamela Corey, was quoted as saying that it 'was not a healthy horse and was likely suffering from pain.'

However, Doctor Corey later retracted her statement, claiming the society had pressured her to distort her findings to turn public opinion against the carriages. 'I was under a lot of pressure during the writing of that press release,' she said.

Animal rights groups in the city vow that if the carriage industry is ended they will find safe pastures for the 216 horses. But critics claim that horse sanctuaries around the country are full, and that the current economy makes it unlikely they will accept new horses in any case.

'If we banned the carriage horse industry tomorrow, they would go straight to slaughter,' Doctor Nena Winand, an upstate New York veterinarian who is a member of the American Society of Equine Practitioners, told the Times. 'There is no big field out there, there is no one to pay the bills,' she added.

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Daytonavejim | Dec 12, 2011, 11:44 AM EST

Would the acivists rather they be sent to the slaughter house?

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horseybebe | Dec 11, 2011, 12:42 PM EST

I agree with you maryemoore. Everyone who is saying these horses aren't in danger a hundred years ago there weren't half as many cars,cabs,buses you get the point and nowhere near the pollution. These beautiful horses are at risk of getting hit killed by a car as well as developing some kind of illness.Horses are not meant to be in overcrowded areas this is why when you see stables they are away from huge areas off of main roads so the horses won't spoke. Horses need exercise,rest and love. These horses were to be rescued they would finally be horses know what its like to have room to roam, have people actually care about them and love them go out on a trail ride and actually enjoy themselves. Farmers don't even use horses to plow fields anymore because its inhumane, horses for those who love their beauty and everything about them are kept as pets,members of the family. You go to an actually stable where horses are taken care one horse may be used 1-2 a day for a lesson and than have the rest of the day to rest get turned out in a paddock. Horses are not meant to work day,noon and night its inhumane.

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maryemoore | Dec 11, 2011, 12:09 AM EST

How many of you actually live in NYC? The poor horses live in horrible conditions- stalls so small they cannot even turn around, never mind lie down. They do not get exercise. Watch them sometime along Central Park South with the heavy carriages tied to them, constantly shifting their legs to take the pressure off them, often standing in their own waste and surrounded by noisy cars and taxis spewing pollution. The City turned down a request for them to be stabled in Central Park. The alternative that the society is recommending and will help to fund are vintage cars, run on electricity that the same drivers could drive through the park so that there would be no lose of jobs. The society also has guarantees and funding to put the horses in protective settings in the country. Farm animals do and did work hard and pulled heavy equipment but not for such long periods and they had fields afterward to roam and run around in. Nor were they constantly spooked by the harsh noises of NYC streets or the rough pot holed pavements to walk on from the stables, quite a distance from the Park. Most other large cities both here in the US and in Europe long ago banned this antiquated and cruel activity. And, contrary to Mayor Bloomberg's thoughts they are not the major reason tourists come to NYC. Do a few dollars outweigh the proper treatment of the horses? I think not.

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sirpeter | Dec 09, 2011, 08:38 PM EST

There should be on the spot checks by vets every now and again to make sure the horses are fit and well.Then if the Animal rights activists interfere they should be arrested and hit with balls of horseshit.

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Searlit | Dec 09, 2011, 11:51 AM EST

I agree with slainte9, give the horses space in Central Park! That would be a wonderful gesture. I love horses. I am mortified by the department of agriculture allowing the slaughtering of horses for food. I was in a small town last week where there was a Christmas festival. I was walking back to my car when I heard the clip clop of horse hooves behind me. I turned and they were at the stoplight. I decided to wait to see them go past. First they stopped at the corner to pick up a couple of passengers. While this went on, I watched the horses. I had heard much about the carriage horses plight, I was thinking "poor babies" as I looked upon them. Well, the one started nuzzling the other and they seemed to be enjoying themselves, so I felt better. When I had just gotten to my car the horses & carriage caught up to me. The horses looked proud. They're part of Christmas! They work, and they bring joy. As long as they aren't abused, they should be allowed to work. Given a choice, horses would rather live and work with people then be sent to the slaughter house.

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slainte9 | Dec 09, 2011, 10:59 AM EST

Horses have been working in New York City's busy streets for literally decades. They helped build the Brooklyn Bridge, for example. It would not surprise me if the carriage horses today are descendants of horses my great-grandfather gave to his men when he closed his hauling business back in the depression of 1905. The horses like to work, spend time with each other and have regular meals. There aren't a lot of job opportunities for draft horses these days. In the good old days they had more grazing opportunities. Hells Kitchen used to be great-grandpa's farm. Give the horses part of Central Park: they helped build it.

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mooncoin | Dec 09, 2011, 10:44 AM EST

What will people protest against next ! this is getting out of hand. I have horses and carriages. My horses and other people's love to work and wait for us to ride them or for them to get hitched up to the carriage or slegh. Just like dogs love to go for walks or play fetch. Maybe dogs should be banned in NY sinse they are a pack animal thet love to and should be in open areas not comfined to an apartment or house all day while the owners are out. The horses are not left at home they are taken to work with there owner. And how many people are hit, injured or killed walking or riding a bike in the city. They do not get along with cars so maybe the activists should ban them. and what of the taxi driver who hit the horse. Taxis drive fast and should have taken into consideration that horses have the right of way on the roads. Over the right of way of Taxis or any other motorized vehicle. All horses can get sick just as people do. People get sick and want to and/or are still expected, to go to work.Maybe the activist should raise money for these people instead of spending money to put people out of work, people from enjoying the horse rides or just seeing them and not put horses to be unwanted, un loved and to their death.

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Murph46 | Dec 09, 2011, 10:42 AM EST

Charlie had a stomach ulcer cause he found out the dept.of Agriculture has just approved horsemeat as food! Check it out!

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pugsmom | Dec 09, 2011, 10:10 AM EST

I have horses, and I love them dearly. To think of ANY of these beautiful animals being mistreated, or sent to slaughter, breaks my heart. I have seen the carriage horses in NY and other cities, and truly, they do NOT appear in any way to suffer from cruel treatment, either from their owners/drivers, or from fear induced by the environment. If these horses' jobs are taken from them, then what...who will care for them? These large creatures need a lot of feed, and they, too, are subject to illnesses that require professional intervention....at a tremendous price, I might add! I advocate for all kinds of animals...dogs, mostly.....and if I thought for a second these horses were harmed, I would be right out front, rabble rousing in protest of any inhumane treatment. I don't see that they are so bad off, as long as traffic rules are obeyed, they receive nourishment and water at regular intervals, and they are blanketed sufficiently against the elements of winter, and not stressed during times of heat. These animals are in public view, and I don't think anyone with any sense of right and wrong would stand by quietly if there were any signs of abuse by the owner/operator. If their jobs are taken, what then? I think the horses who are NOT in the public's sight are the ones with which we need to be concerned, not these that are on daily display!

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Sprocket | Dec 09, 2011, 09:42 AM EST

I have a carriage company in rural Indiana, if the carriages were banned in NYC I would be happy to purchase one of these beautiful well trained horses for myself, but I don't know if I could afford it- these beautiful traffic safe horses are worth their weight in gold (not meat)! To suggest that these horses would be sold to slaughter is ludicrous. As for those "sanctuaries"... why are they so fixated on providing a home to a NYC horse who (as of now) has a job and an owner- why not go to a horse auction and pick up some other horse for $50 before he gets on the truck to Canada... I think they need you help... like- yesterday. Yes, in the USA the current market heading into winter has unwanted horses selling for less than it costs to trim their feet once, or feed him for one week. It will cost you more in gas to haul him home than it will to buy him. The bill that has been proposed to ban the NYC carriage trade also has provisions to seize these privately owned priceless animals and deem them permanently unusable for anything- no driving or riding ever after. I don't know who would want to foot the bill for that- and if they are just interested in a true pasture ornament (good luck pastures) why not go for a horse who really can't do anything other than eat?

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geemiss | Dec 09, 2011, 09:28 AM EST

Antoinette Kelly needs to go back to journalism school -- 3 horses died, really? Unless she can produce 2 other carcasses, the only horse to die recently was Charlie, on Oct 23rd, of as yet still unknown causes. Under our Constitution, journalists bear a grave and crucial responsibility to the public to report FACTS, not make up sensationalist lies out of whole cloth for headlines. SHAME ON YOU.

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geemiss | Dec 09, 2011, 09:27 AM EST

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TheBarnRules | Dec 09, 2011, 09:15 AM EST

Your headline is seriously misleading. Three horses have died while on duty as carriage horses in 30 years - 3 horses in 30 years. I am in no way minimizing the death of any horse, but that is a remarkable record. No other equestrian discipline can match it - not even close. I have repeatedly asked the anti-carriage crowd for proof, as in actual facts, that the carriage horses are abused. The response? "They look sad." Ask any of them about their horse knowledge – it is laughable. If you read what one of their vets says about horses, you would wonder where she was during her large animal rotation in vet school. The lies that are spread about these horses and their drivers are nothing short of slander. I have also repeatedly asked the anti-carriage crowd for the names of the rescues where these horses will go and who will pay for their care. The response? “Don’t worry – we have it covered.” Um, riiiight. Horse rescues are over-flowing, there is a hay shortage in much of the country, let alone a land shortage for pasture, the wild horses are being rounded up, and horse slaughter is back on the table, and I’m not supposed to “worry” about it? Oh, and let’s not forget that NY-Class is in bed with PETA and PETA has come out in favor of horse slaughter. Oh, no, I’m not worried at all! I hope that you will stay on top of this story and present actual facts - not the conjecture and outright lies of groups like Friends of Animals (a misnomer if there ever was one - ask Ms. Birnkrant about her reaction to the death of showjumper Hickstead).

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