THE UNWANTED HORSE COALITION & THE CARRIAGE TRADE ... WAIT. WHAT!!!

IT JUST GETS CURIOUSER AND CURIOUSER ... 

the Unwanted Horse Coalition and 

the Horse Carriage Trade

Livestock News recently reported that Palmetto Carriage Works in Charleston, South Carolina, and the Retired Racehorse Project have both joined the Unwanted Horse Coalition.  

Retired Racehorse Project, Palmetto Carriage Works Join Unwanted Horse Coalition.

This is a very curious development indeed since the Unwanted Horse Coalition supports horse slaughter so it is not surprising that a livestock publication would break the news.  We wonder about this new alliance.  

Palmetto is one of the carriage companies that works out of hot and humid Charleston and uses wagons with one horse pulling 17 people. 

Carriage horse companies want the public  to believe they love their horses and treat them like family members.  Revealing where the horses end up  when no longer wanted is not something that is made public.

 NYC:  In NYC, between 60 and 70 horses turn over (leave the business) in a year.    My 7 1/2 year study, published in 2013,  documents this.  Because horses are privately owned, there is no paper trail available to the public to track where they went.    We do not know if a horse was retired to a nice home; sold to another business; or ended up at a kill auction where he was purchased by a kill buyer to fulfill his quota for the slaughter houses.  

The latter is exactly what happened to Bobby II Freedom in 2010.  A NYC carriage horse at the time, he was deemed too old by his owner and brought to the New Holland livestock auction where he was purchased by a kill buyer.  Hoping to get more money than the "by the pound" rate offered by the slaughter houses, the dealer put Bobby up for adoption for a few days.  Luckily I found him on Friday, June 25th the day before he was scheduled to return to the kill pen.    Bobby is currently living a wonderful life at Equine Advocates Sanctuary where he is much loved.  The NY Times wrote about his rescue.  

Bobby II Freedom - the one who got away. 

 
This was a great embarrassment to the industry and we never again learned of another carriage horse horse ending up at the auctions.  They became more careful.  The horses were still moved out when no longer able to work, but the way it was done was more surreptitious.   We suspect that owners do not take their horses directly to auction but instead launder them through Amish farmers who may work the horse for several months before bringing him to auction for sale.  This way, their participation at the auctions is minimal.  We also believe that the 4-digit engraved hoof number that allowed us to identify Bobby is sanded down so it is not identifiable. 

UNWANTED HORSE COALITION:  We wonder why this Charleston carriage horse company felt the need to join up with an organization that defends and advocates for horse slaughter. 

The Unwanted Horse Coalition is part of the Animal Welfare Council, an intentionally misleading name.  This article from their web site is very telling in their position about horse slaughter and animal rights activists. 

Back Door Route to Blocking Processing of Horses in the U.S. 

Please read it thoroughly.  It is very revealing and informative but it is also full of lies - such as "There is nothing that makes horses different than any other livestock animal."  This is fundamentally false since horses are not raised for human consumption and are often treated with a myriad of drugs, many of them known carcinogens. 

The "back door route" referred to in the title of this piece was put into place by Vice President Joe Biden in 2014 at the urging of anti-horse slaughter activists because they knew it was virtually impossible to get Congress - with all their special interests -  to pass a ban on horse slaughter.  There was great concern that profitable horse slaughter plants would once again open in the US.  This initiative removed funding for horse meat inspectors, thus accomplishing the same goal -- no horse slaughter plants. 

But look at what the Animal Welfare Council says about this:

The United States slaughters and exports beef, pork, and chicken, all of which are killed humanely under regulated inspection, but [consuming] horse meat—which is consumed by the majority of world cultures including our closest neighbors in Canada, Iceland, Mexico, and South America; which appears on the menus of the finest restaurants in Europe; and which is purveyed in grocery stores right alongside the other meats all over Asia and Polynesia—would be a felony for Americans. Horse meat was widely consumed in the United States and Britain until the late 1940s….

While we oppose the consumption of all animals and do not think one deserves more compassion than the other, it must be pointed out that horses are shot full of drugs that are very harmful to humans,  and unlike cows, chickens and pigs are not specifically raised for human consumption.   Besides, slaughter of these "food" animals is  bad enough -- why make it worse by adding another animal to the mix.  Where do we stop?  Are cats and dogs next?  

Please sign up for e-mail alerts from both the Equine Welfare Alliance and Equine Advocates on horse welfare issues.  
 
EQUINE WELFARE ALLIANCE 

This is a recent press release issued by the Equine Welfare Alliance.
 "House Leadership Renews Push to Reinstate Horse Slaughter in the US" - dated March 8, 2017.



EQUINE ADVOCATES

About chemicals in horse meat...

From the Food and Toxicology Journal -- a public health risk - Ann Marini 

Horse meat scandal - Vickery Eckhoff


There is very real concern that the Trump administration is heading in the direction of opening up horse slaughter facilities once again. Please stay informed about this issue and be ready to take action.

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IT'S A SAFETY ISSUE

IT’S A SAFETY ISSUE…   

Carriage Horses are accidents waiting to happen.  Politicians and Decision Makers – do you want to gamble with people’s lives?

 

July 2014 -- The Coalition to Ban Horse-Drawn Carriages is sponsoring a new ad, that targets

city officials and asks if they are willing to gamble with people's lives considering that humans have been killed in accidents involving carriage horses.  

 The ad can be seen in City & State, a publication that reaches government officials--decision makers who are responsible for public safety.   See P. 10  

  

In the debate on whether or not to ban horse-drawn carriages, the media and politicians have lost sight of a fundamental truth.  The very nature of a horse makes this majestic animal unsuitable to work on the crowded streets of NYC because they are serious accidents waiting to happen.  Although gentle by nature, at 1,500 to 2,000 pounds, they can become uncontrollable, unwitting weapons when spooked. As prey animals, their nature is to respond to upsetting stimuli in a fight or flight manner. Horses are predictably unpredictable and there is no such thing as a "bomb proof" horse. Unfamiliar sudden movements or loud noises will often trigger an innate anxiety in a horse, which may lead to panic and fear. “

Many of the NYC horse spooking accidents have come close to leaving dead people in their wake. There have been serious human injuries, including a few carriage drivers who were hospitalized in a coma. And of course, horses have died and been seriously injured in spooking accidents - but this does not seem to have convinced  politicians that the industry needs to be shut down. 

''Spooking' can happen to even the best-trained and well-mannered horse... there is no such thing as an unspookable horse, nor can the average driver control the horse once he bolts.'' said international horse expert and equine veterinarian, Holly Cheever D.V.M.

ACCIDENTS:  

A few years ago, a carriage driver was trying to make an illegal u-turn with his horse, Oreo, on Central Park South. Oreo spooked when he encountered a big truck rumbling up the avenue. He bolted into traffic, lost his driver and ran up on the sidewalk - narrowly missing pedestrians. He continued to run down the street to 11th Avenue. That - as with Pumpkin, a recent accident - was a close call. 

When an out of control powerful horse comes running at you, he is not saying "excuse me, excuse me, sir, coming through." No - he is frantic and just wants to hot tail it away from the source of fear. He will trample you if you are in his way.

 For city officials to continue to allow this to happen is a huge mistake and very irresponsible.

In 2010, in Salzburg, Austria, a French tourist was knocked down and trampled by a runaway carriage horse who spooked and bolted. She died from her injuries. 

In 2007, there were two incidents each involving 5-year old girls and carriage horses that ended badly. In Tucson, little Brielle was sitting on a horse in a parade when several carriage horses behind her spooked. She was knocked from her horse and trampled to death. Later that year in St. Petersburg, Russia, another young girl fell from a carriage and was killed when the horse spooked and bolted. 

Here are a few other noteworthy accidents:
 
In 2012, in the UK , a Swiss tourist fell from a carriage after the horse spooked and bolted, and died from her injuries. 

Iowa - In 2010, horses spooked in a parade and ran into the crowd, trampling and injuring 24 people - some seriously and killing a woman passenger who was thrown from the buggy.  

This is PETA'S list of accidents around the world:   

Animal Aid, is an animal rights group in the UK that has been working on this issue for years.  They report that:  There are numerous documented cases of both animal and human injuries, sometimes fatal, after carriage horses have become 'spooked'. A US survey of national carriage horse accidents revealed that:

• 85% of all accidents were the result of an animal spooking
• 70% of the time there was a human injury
• 22% of the time there was a human death

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NYC PUBLIC FORUM ON ANIMAL ISSUES ... and Carriage Horses

on the NYC Carriage Horse issue

New York State Senator Tony Avella held a public forum on animal issues on Friday January 17^th in New York City  The room was packed and many people provided testimony on a variety of issues - carriage horses, shelter system, foie gras, devocalization, circuses, wildlife, geese slaughter, humane law enforcement.  Connections were made and business cards exchanged.  Senator Avella promised to follow through on several issues.   This is my testimony with additional notes subsequently added:

The horse drawn carriage trade has been the subject of controversy for many years – long before we began our campaign in 2006.  It has always enjoyed the unconditional support of

Animal Protection Forum 1/17/14

past Administrations [1]and although regulated by several agencies, it pretty much operated in a laizzez-faire way – most of the regulations were not enforced.  So we are very pleased that Mayor deBlasio has said he will end the business.  But we are very concerned with the how and when.

These slow-moving dangerous and flimsy conveyances do not belong in the heavily congested streets of NYC in 2014.  Horses are prey animals and are predictably unpredictable – they spook easily and can bolt into traffic causing mayhem.  These sensitive animals become unwitting weapons who can kill or injure themselves or passersby.  Human deaths have happened in other cities[2] and if this business is allowed to continue, it is only a matter of time before someone is killed here.  NYC has so far dodged the bullet.  But this luck will run out if nothing is done.

Since 2006, we have documentation for 34 accidents but we are convinced that many more have occurred.  The law does not require that drivers report an accident; does not require the ASPCA to reveal them to the public; and does not require the NYPD to even make a report at the scene of an accident.  There is no transparency in this business and it is very intentional.

But the public is not stupid.  Since 2006, every online poll taken has revealed that between 75 and 80 percent of respondents want a ban of horse-drawn carriages.  More than 130,000 people have signed our petition in support of the Avella/Rosenthal bill to ban horse-drawn carriages.  These polls were taken in a more neutral environment generally after one of the many carriage accidents happened.  The recent one time only Quinnipiac poll that shows a majority of people being opposed to a ban is the result of several months worth of manipulated pro carriage trade reporting by the media.  it is the result of yellow journalism.    

In the last few weeks, the media has reported on this issue with much misinformation.  They have excluded from the dialog advocates for a ban  and created their own stories favoring the

NYC accident; horse spooked and fell; carriage toppled on him

drivers.  One example is PIX 11 TV in NYC.  Recently  I was invited to be interviewed at their studio supposedly with someone representing the carriage trade.  I was then told they could not get anyone and had to cancel the show.  The next day I saw that they had not canceled the show, but instead had given an exclusive interview to a driver in Clinton park Stable.  She lied her way through the very long piece, unchallenged by the reporter who did not counter  anything she said and obviously did not know the issue.   I contacted them for equal time but was ignored.  

Yellow journalism is alive and well in NYC.  The truth has not gotten out.  It is curious why the media has taken this tact – whether they are in fact still trying to derail Mayor deBlasio as they did before the election; or if they are so afraid of the “animal rights agenda” that they simply cannot allow us to have this victory even at the expense of the long suffering horses.  There may be a lot of truth to this because Governor Cuomo recently signed a bill into law that allows municipalities to make their own laws regarding puppy mills and pet stores.  This is seen as a huge victory for those who care about animals. 

The media has presented the carriage driver as a poor downtrodden, blue collar working class immigrant whose business is being taken away by people who know nothing at all about horses and simply want their stable property. [3] It is the classic David and Goliath story and some people will believe it simply because it is in the media. 

The media also continues to talk about the so-called alternative vintage electric cars.  They do not know or care that the cars have been promised for five years, do not exist and that it is a risky and cost prohibitive investment.  No one in the media does fact checking or even challenges any of this information. 

Nose to tailpipe existence 

Industries become irrelevant and obsolete and it is time to shut this one down.  The best job alternative for the drivers is to have their existing carriages retrofitted with motors.  The cost would be about $15,000 – a fraction of what the electric cars would cost.  This has been done in other cities and can be seen on the web site – www.andrescarriagetours.com.  One of the NYC carriage owners already has one.  The medallion system could stay intact and everyone could keep their job.  The City could pay for the retrofitting in exchange for the horses who can be placed through the Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries, which has done research proving that there are homes available for all the horses.

A word about the carriage horse slaughter scare, which originated with the drivers, promoted by the NY Daily News and exacerbated by Mayor Bloomberg – a scare tactic done to persuade people not to support a ban.  If any of the horses go to the slaughter auctions, make no mistake – it will be the drivers who bring them there.  They do not walk there on their own.  In the spring of 2013, I released a study, which revealed a turnover of 529 horses over 7 ½ years in the NYC carriage trade, averaging 71 horses a year.  Surely some of those horses went onto the auctions and then to Canada for to be slaughtered.  This will be the first time that horses will be guaranteed homes.  This will be the first time that accountability and responsibility for horse lives is required.  

The City Council should forget about Intro 86a, the electric car bill,  because it will not result in a ban and it’s muddying the waters.  The money does not exist to create this new industry  - approximately $12,000,000  - and a three year phase out would be fool hearty and guarantee that there will be no ban.  We do not support this and I am sure this is not what anyone heard when Mayor deBlasio called for a ban.  Intro 92, the unconditional ban bill is the one to reintroduce.

We ask Mayor deBlasio to do what it takes to shut this trade down soon.  We offer our expertise to work with him to make this happen.

  

---

[1] In 1989 when Local Law 89 was passed, which would have allowed the drivers to only work in Central Park, then Speaker Peter Vallone added a sunset clause to the bill before it went to the Mayor to be signed into law.  The sunset clause caused the bill to expire in 1993.  

In the early 2000s a representative from Vallone’s office (he was still speaker) called the ASPCA and demanded that they not run several full-page ads in the NY Times that were anti-carriage horse trade.  Larry Hawk, who was president at the time, refused to be bullied and the ads ran.  The ASPCA was never able to find anyone to sponsor their strong regulatory bill. 

Mr. Vallone has a  relative named Giovanni Rosario Vallone who owns and operates  a NYC carriage horse medallion and lives in Sicily. 

Linda Gibbs, Deputy Mayor of  Health and Human Services under Michael Bloomberg,  is married to Thomas McMahon, who has been a long time lobbyist for the carriage trade.  Ms. Gibbs also oversaw the Department of Health, which in turn oversaw many of the carriage horse regulations.

Christine Quinn was strongly supported in her quest to become Speaker of the City Council by the late Thomas Manton who had been a City Council Member, Congressman,  and at that time  head of the Queens Democratic party.  Manton was a staunch supporter of the carriage trade and had been referred to as Quinn’s “god father.”   

[2] In 2010, a French tourist was killed in Salsburg, Austria when a spooked carriage horse ran up on the street and trampled her.    

[3] This accusation has finally been debunked.  Steve Nislick, president of NYClass and a real estate developer , has answered the charges made by the carriage trade and the media that he wants the stable property.  He not only said it is not true but that if the  property were  ever to come onto the market, he pledges that he will not bid on it.  He further goes on to say that neither will anyone from his company or organization.
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DADA & BILLY -- VICTIMS OF NYC CARRIAGE TRADE - SAVED!

The Story of Dada and Billy - better known as Lilly O'Reilly and Bobby II Freedom - rescued former NYC carriage horses.  

The Coalition to Ban Horse-Drawn Carriages  recently published a  study of horse disposition in  the New York Carriage trade, which revealed that an average of 71 horses a year do not get their license renewed ... 529 over 7 1/2 years. The study is linked from our home page www.banhdc.org.    There is no protection for the horses - the owners are

not required to be accountable for their lives.  If they are not wanted - if they cannot do the job anymore - they are out.  Some may find good homes - but some don't.  We believe many went on to auction but because of the way the system works - no records after they are not licensed anymore - there is no proof.  But we do not believe for one minute that the owners found homes for all 529 horses.  

I'd like to tell the story here of two horses (who are part of this 529 number) who were saved despite their uncaring owners -- Dada who went on to become Lilly O'Reilly -- and Billy who went on to become Bobby II Freedom.  They had both been dumped at the New Holland kill auctions -- an auction frequented by kill buyers.   If you want more information about the study, please go to our web site www.banhdc.org.     

DADA - I first became aware of this horse in 2006.  She had  recently been rescued by 
Central New England Equine Rescue  in Massachusetts.  She  looked terrible.  She was a 19 year old mare and very tall at 18.2 hands.  She was 200 pounds underweight and her  body was filled with harness sores, which she could only have gotten working as a carriage horse.  We do not know how long she was in the carriage trade but her body showed the harsh effects of life 

harness rubs
photo by CNEER

harness rubs
photo by CNEER

as a workhorse pulling heavy loads.   By the 4-digit number on her hoof - #2711 -  I was able to find out that she was a New York City carriage horse who had been owned by Clemente Cretella.  She had been sent to the New Holland auction to meet her fate and been purchased by a Boston carriage owner to be put to work.  She had been at a horse dealer's farm when she was rescued. 

This is the section of the report that includes Lilly (Dada).  She is listed on the first line.The blue color indicates when the horse was no longer on the DoH rolls.   Click to make it bigger.  

Changing her name to the pretty "Lilly O'Reilly" the good people at CNEER set out to work with her.   They wanted to help her to trust people again.  She was very withdrawn and depressed.  She was distant.  This is what Vicky of CNEER said: "Lilly still has not lost that sadness in her eyes.  I don't know how long it will take but it's still there - she has moments of interest, but that's all - little by slow she will trust us to keep her safe.  She has had a hard life I think - a very hard life.  And how she can even tolerate people is beyond me.  She can't be adopted until she is restored both physically and emotionally."   

With CNEER's guidance and help, Lilly's luck was changing.   After all, their motto is  "making

Beautiful Lilly
photo by EForel

a difference - one horse at a time"  and they mean it.   This is a   link to our page with Lilly's story.  I was fortunate to get to meet Lilly a few times.  What a treat.  She and I are both NYC girls.  Although  withdrawn, we seemed to commune with each other.  I fell in love with her.  

Sometime later she was adopted by an equine vet, Michaela and went to live with Cole, a quarter horse and Badonkeydonk, a little donkey.  She and Cole became very close.  

This is what Michaela said about her new girl.  "Lilly is doing great.  She has come out of her shell like you wouldn't believe - her newest favorite game is taking everything out of my tack 

Lizzie and Lilly 

box one item and a time when I am busy brushing her or picking her feet.  I swear that horse smiles the entire time she does it."   

How great is that!  So it was with much sadness that I learned of Lilly's death one year after she got to her new home.  She and Cole got sick - he was strong enough to recover but she just succumbed in the field with her loving and caring family around her.  At least for the last few years of her life, she was a much loved being.  Micheala knew how much I cared about her and sent me a  lock of her mane, which I will always treasure.  She is honored on our web site.  (left side - scroll

Cole, Lilly & Badonkeydonk 

down) 

Bobby at New Holland 

BILLY - This is the horse who became the famous Bobby II Freedom.  I became aware of him on Friday morning , June 25, 2010  when I turned on the computer to read an e-mail about a "bay gelding ex carriage horse"   "Can you guys offer any info or know anyone who would like to save this gentle gelding from slaughter?  We have til Sat 6 p.m. to find him a secure home."

As I described in my article in One Green Planet, I immediately went into action reaching out to rescues to see if anyone could take him.  Equine Advocates in Chatham, NY happily agreed to do it and Billy finally arrived at their place on the following Monday.  

Bobby's worried look - 1st day at EA
photo by Jim Craner

This is the section of the report that shows Billy and his owner Maria Sulla.  He is third from the bottom - #2873

The press showed interest in Billy who immediately got a lot of  coverage - he was fast turning into a celebrity.  Referred to as an "it" by co-owner, Mr. Spina,  in the NY Times article, Billy  was finally living with his own herd and with people who loved him.  Take that!, Mr. Spina.  

This is a link to a NY Times article that featured Billy's story and arrival at Equine Advocates.

Bobby rolling - 1st day at EA
photo by Jim Craner

 The first thing he did was to roll on the grass - natural behavior for horses.  Susan Wagner, president of Equine Advocates, believes he probably never had a chance to do that before .  So heart warming.  The writer, Elizabeth Hess, has referred to it as "palpable horse joy."

Billy immediately was seen by an equine vet who determined serious lameness in his right front leg,  overgrown teeth and two kinds of worms -- not exactly  the condition of a cared for horse.  Find our more about Bobby on Equine Advocates' blog.  These  are some pictures of Bobby II Freedom when he first came and how he is today.  

Bobby and Susan Wagner, president of Equine Advocates
photo by Jim Craner

Bobby and I communing 

Photo taken by Jeffrey Anderson 

painting by Peter Max