Our campaign is dedicated to banning the inhumane, unsafe, anachronistic and hack line
horse-drawn carriage trade in NYC and elsewhere.
We need a total ban, not a "compromise" that will doom the horses to a life of misery.
Please donate to our campaign.
We do not need much money since we do this proudly for free - it is a labor of love and compassion - but we could use help with flyers, posters, this newsletter and our website. We also donate to equine rescues and to groups in other cities that want to make a difference. We strongly feel that we are all in this together. You will always get the truth here because we have no conflicts of interest and do not have to genuflect to anyone - either because of business or political dealings. With our years of experience with this issue going back to the 1990s, we are not hesitant to speak out. Thanks to all of you who have donated. It is very much appreciated.
TRUTH not POLITICS!
COMMON PROBLEM IN CITIES THAT HAVE
HORSE-DRAWN CARRIAGES:
LACK OF LAW ENFORCEMENT!
The carriage drivers and their supporters like to claim "The NYC carriage industry is subject to some of the most extensive regulations concerning horses in the country. Carriage horses are overseen by 5 city agencies." The media then takes this nugget and promotes it -- suggesting that extensive regulations equal enforcement.
Yes, it is true that there are "extensive regulations" - pages and pages as they also like to say. But regulations are only as good as the paper on which they are printed if they are not enforced. And many of the regulations - what I like to call "street regulations" - are not enforced because none of the City agencies take this enforcement seriously. The two agencies that have the most responsibility concerning the horses and licensing are the Department of Health and the Department of Consumer Affairs. The NYPD does a fraction of what they should be doing. The Department of Transportation and Parks do virtually nothing. When we complained to the Department of Transportation that they should not have approved a horse-drawn carriage in the very large Environmental march a few years back -- they not only claimed not to be aware of it so did not issue a permit, but did not then issue a citation. Worthless!
VIOLATIONS INCLUDE:
-- carriage drivers (with NYS Driver Licenses) do not obey the rules of the road although they share the road with cars, taxis, buses and emergency vehicles -- all of which have to obey these rules or face penalties. Not so the drivers. They go through traffic lights; continue to make U-turns around Central Park; use hand-held devices while driving, often freaking out the automobile drivers who share the road with them.
-- leaving their horses unattended or untethered while they are off socializing with other drivers or hawking rides. This is part of the NYC Administrative Code and is a public safety issue.
-- Overloading their carriages and double shifting their horses. This is also part of the NYC Administrative code, which requires that a horse cannot be worked more than nine hours a day, seven days a week.
-- At the stables, the stalls are required to have clean and dry straw bedding. But it is on the honor system and we have seen many pictures of very dirty stalls. One is posted above. A few years ago, a carriage driver whose license was ultimately pulled, was charged with working a lame horse. The horse was found to have thrush - a condition, which is often the result of the horse standing in urine-soaked bedding.
This is an
odd article from CBS news from 2014, which claims the NYPD was to take over enforcement of the carriage horse rules since the ASPCA had given up humane law enforcement. The ONLY thing the NYPD enforces is the monitoring of weather restrictions concerning the industry. They will suspend the business if it is too hot or cold according to the regulations. But that is it! Individual police we have encountered claim not to be aware of carriage horse regulations.
So it continues to be the Wild Wild West on the hack line. And no official cares enough to do anything about it.
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CHICAGO -- Jodie Wiederkehr, from Chicago Alliance for Animals, was interviewed by a Chicago podcast on April 1st. She might as well be talking about NYC. Same thing.
Please take a moment to listen to this -- it is worth it.
Click here
The interview starts toward the end of the segment - about 23:00 minutes into the broadcast.
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PARTNERSHIP TO BAN HORSE-DRAWN CARRIAGES: is a new group started by Jodie Wiederkehr from Chicago Alliance for Animals. The mission of the Partnership is to "effectively organize and work with multiple organizations around the world to streamline our identical purpose of banning the dangerous, cruel and unnecessary practice of horse-drawn carriages."
The organization includes members from all over the United States and Europe. If you are campaigning in your city against horse-drawn carriages and want to join, contact Jodie at chicagoallianceforanimals@gmail.com
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KEEP FIGHTING THE GOOD FIGHT!