Sure they do. To many of the drivers, the horses are just dumb animals who do their bidding. They don't interact with them except to give them commands.
These horses are dispirited because they've been broken. There is no love and there is no respect.
If they truly loved their horses, they would not subject them to the wear and tear of working in a congested city, breathing in car exhaust and living in the multi-storied stables in stalls that are too small.
This is an excerpt from a blog called Mama Act where the writer is describing her recent walk along Central Park South where the carriage drivers wait for customers.
"I'm walking by and they're all hanging out, some in grungy top hats. Some in baseball caps. Chatting and waiting. When all of a sudden one of the horses kicks over his feed pail, spilling a decent amount, but certainly not the whole bucket, on the street. And the driver grabs the bucket and yells, "F--- you, you f---ing idiot!" He yells this at the HORSE. And something in the way he yelled it was kind of dark. More like a wife-beater than a business partner. Reflexive and violent. And it just kinda made me wonder..."
This is nothing new. I've had similar experiences. Once I witnessed a driver scream angrily at his horse because she was hitting one hoof against the pavement in boredom. He grabbed her bridle and yanked her head, obviously causing her great discomfort. He used the same type of expletives but with specific nasty words one would use toward a disrespected female. Yes this is one classy group.
I've also see drivers punch their horses in the nose, which is a very sensitive part of their body.
A few years back, I was sitting on a bench in Central Park near one of the filthy water troughs, which are empty half of the year. A carriage came by and the driver stopped to let his horse drink. It was a very hot day. After a few gulps, he pulled her head back, away from the water and turned to his passengers saying "I'll show her who's boss." Yeah - big macho man.
Yes, this is the group of people who "love their horses" -- the group that certain members of the City Council want to keep in business shaming the city.
2 comments:
This type of behavior happens all day long every day. The drivers don't see the horses as LIVING, FEELING, THINKING creatures who have the basic right to fulfill their basic needs. They are just "work" animals who must work for the drivers. What else could these drivers do after all? God forbid they get a 21st century skill and work for themselves and their families. Life requires workers to stay current with their skills, but these owners and drivers prefer to stick to good old fashioned profitable slavery.
Since they have the unconscious mindset that these animals are just a means to their own lazy ends, they don't have to think anymore and they must simply get the "thing" to do what "it" is supposed to do and that is have forgo his own equine needs and make the driver and his family money.
I also have seen a horse push over the bucket of food because the driver placed it in such an ergonomically difficult that horse was trying to simply move the bucket and it fell over. The horse was clearly uncomfortable trying to reach for his poorly placed food bucket while tied up. When the horse knocked it off by accident the same very reflexive and irate response - "You stupid fucking horse!" When I said why are you cursing at the horse when you placed it in a bad position the driver was ready to punch me out.
The vast majority of these drivers could not be worse “ambassadors” for tourism. The lowest of the low. City Hall – shame on you!
All I can say is actions sure speak louder than words. I have seen this behavior too. A carriage driver one time was so drunk he could barely sit in the seat to hold the reins yet no one stopped him from driving. Knowing what I now know I would have taken his reported him that day. however, it's hard to report when city hall is closed, so who would we call
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