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 - ** homophobic & racist remarks by carriage driver ** carriage drivers breaking the law ** special e-mail list ** Buy a t-shirt ** Wednesday demo ** Mumbai, India ** What will happen to the horses ** Letters to the editor ** Save Sept 5th ** Philly accident ** Youtube videos
WHAT'S HAPPENING THIS SUMMER FOR THE HORSES?
While concentrating on other related things, this newsletter has become a SPORADICAL. Since a lot has happened recently, it was time for another issue.
Join us next Wednesday for a demo/educational event for the carriage horses:
- WHEN: Wednesday July 25 - 6:30 pm to 8 pm
- WHERE: north/west corner Central Park South & Fifth Avenue near horse statue
- We have posters and flyers - WE JUST NEED YOU!
HOMOPHOBIC AND RACIST REMARKS
made by a NYC carriage driver -- who else!
This past week saw the release of a YouTube video taken by an activist in NYC in which a carriage driver used homophobic and racist slurs. Martina Navratilova wrote a letter to Speaker Christine Quinn complaining about the offensive language and supporting a ban of the carriage horse trade. The story got a lot of attention. Here it is in the Irish Central.
Speaker Christine Quinn supports the trade. Why is anyone's guess -- combination of the Queens Democratic Party; her allegiance to the late former Congressman and supporter of the trade - Tom Manton; her fear of the Teamsters' Union - or she just does not care about the inherent cruelty and is fooling herself about about how "iconic" it is. They are a black mark on this city; an embarrassment and certainly not the good ambassadors to NYC that Quinn would like you to believe they are.
Stephen Malone, president of the NYC Horse & Carriage Association told the newspaper that he has been called an "Irish Bastard." He would love it if he could play the victim of ethnic discrimination - but it does not exist. It is a non issue. As I have said many times over, there are many native Irish, first generation Irish and those of Irish descent in our campaign. We are supported by two excellent animal rights groups in Ireland - Animal Rights Action Network and Alliance for Animal Rights. Give it up Steve.
NYC CARRIAGE DRIVERS OUT OF CONTROL
violate laws with abandon
This is my blog about the carriage drivers breaking the law by overloading their carriages and taking on passengers after the line was suspended by the ASPCA because the temperature had reached 90 degrees. Click here.
Additional videos have been posted on Youtube:
MUMBAI, INDIA - TWO RECENT CARRIAGE HORSE DEATHS
calls for ban increases
July 10, 2012 - Horse carriages face whip- Animal deaths provoke ban cry in Mumbai
SPECIAL E-MAIL LIST
be notified of events, demos and articles
This summer, due to other obligations, I will be producing this newsletter sporadically. If you would like to be informed of demos/flyering events or articles - please send your e-mail address to coal...@banhdc.org. It is easier for me to send e-mails than the newsletter.
OUR OFFICIAL YOUTUBE WEB SITE & FACEBOOK PAGES
Subscribe so you will be notified when something new is uploaded. Click here.
If you are on Facebook, please join these two pages.
SAVE SEPTEMBER 5TH
end of summer party for the horses
On Wednesday, September 5th, the Coalition to Ban Horse-Drawn Carriages will host an event at Gotham Comedy Club featuring Brian Gari singing Horse of a Different Color - and Honey LaBronx, NYC's much loved Vegan Drag Queen. Harris Bloom will MC.
Details are being developed.
WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO THE HORSES?
blog & new Facebook page
Please "Like" our new Facebook Page - What Will Happen to the Horses. This is the most popular question we have been asked and this is the answer.
In addition a longer version is on our blog - "What will happen to the horses if there is a ban? Won't they go to slaughter?"
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
in response to my op ed in Our Town/NY Press
Unfortunately, the letters were not on line - these are three:
- Rina Deych: Thank you for an excellent article about the carriage horse industry. How many accidents need to happen before the archaic, cruel, and dangerous horse-drawn carriage industry is banned? These horses work 9 hours a day, 7 days a week in all temperature extremes, often at the hands of inexperienced and uncaring drivers, talking or texting on their phones, with virtually NO oversight from the ASPCA. Most of the horses are either former Amish draft horses or "retired" racehorses, and at the end of their "usefulness," they are often sold at auction to be brutally butchered alive in slaughterhouses in Canada and Mexico. That is their "reward" for two lifetimes of work for man. Since July of 2011, there are have been at least 9 incidents involving carriage horses - and those are just the ones we know about. It's time to end this abominable industry. Horses do not belong in traffic, period.
- Andrea Basile: I am glad to see you getting behind the carriage horse issue. I live on Central Park South and for 35 years I have watched acts of criminal neglect, traffic violations and the general cruelty of having a herder, prey animal trapped in isolation among a sea of real threats to his own well-being. They also get no water, as one water source near 5th Avenue doesn't work and the other, just inside the park at 6th Avenue, is closed to traffic many hours a day. Also, it is where the ride starts and I have never seen the driver stop on the way into the park when he has passengers. The whole thing is very sad, both for the animals and for us, and it is obvious the way the union-owned city allows this to persist against the wishes of most civilized people. Tolerating this industry is sheer ignorance or pure malice.
- Mickey Kramer: I agree with Elizabeth Forel that we need to put an end to the horse drawn carriage industry in New York City. I did want to touch on something that Ms. Forel didn't: This antiquated business is a danger to people, not only the horses. Over the years, there have been numerous serious injuries to carriage drivers, passengers and people in motor vehicles involved in the seemingly never-ending reported collisions, accidents, and carriage horse collapses. I hope it doesn't take a human fatality for city leaders to finally get on board with State Senator Tony Avella and State Assembly Member Linda Rosenthal's bill to ban horse drawn carriages in New York City. The time is now.
OUR T-SHIRTS + OTHER MERCHANDISE FOR SALE
Help the cause to ban horse-drawn carriages
The Coalition to Ban Horse-Drawn Carriages has merchandise available to promote the cause of banning horse-drawn carriages. We have t-shirts, tote bags, mugs, mouse pads and more. And .we have three stores. Click below.
PHILADELPHIA - CARRIAGE HORSE ACCIDENT
horse spooks; driver badly injured
NBC News - July 14, 2012 - Horse & Carriage Crash in Old CityWoman seriously hurt when horse and carriage turns on its side. A woman was seriously hurt in a horse and carriage crash in Old City Friday afternoon.
Philadelphia firefighters responded to 3rd and Callowhill Streets around 3:45 p.m.
The unidentified victim -- believed to be the driver -- was taken to Hahnemann Hospital in serious condition but is expected to survive, according to officials.
Witnesses tell NBC10's Denise Nakano that it appears the female driver had lost control of the horse and carriage while going north on N 3rd Street before it flipped over. A witness also says the out-of-control horse shattered a car windshield. "When I was coming up, I saw the horse jump," said David Williford. "The horse jumped and then it ran into a car, flipped it over and took off."
Police say the carriage hit two cars at 3rd and Callowhill and then flipped on its side. Ming Tao of Northeast Philadelphia and his aunt were driving the Silver Toyota that received the most damage in the accident. They tell NBC10 the crash happened so fast that they didn't even know what hit them.
"We didn't see the horse coming," said Tao.
The horse and carriage belonged to the 76 Carriage company in Kensington. The manager of the company tells NBC10 the horse involved in the accident is a 9-year-old named Dutch who has been with them for three years. Prior to Friday's events, the manager says the horse had never been in an accident.
While the horse was injured, the animal is expected to survive. Chopper 10 arrived on the scene to find the carriage on its side with wheels bent in.
It took about two hours to clear the scene.
Slide show of this accident.
HELP OUR ORGANIZATION BY SHOPPING ON LINE
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 I-Give - the name of our organization is "The Coalition for NYC Animals, Inc." 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.
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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.
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