KARMA - NYC STYLE

Hey all. Ollie here. I’ve been thinking a lot about Karma after looking at a video of the recent City Council hearings on several bills that would affect the carriage industry.

Karma – or “what goes around comes around” is an interesting concept. In Eastern religions, the effects of all deeds are viewed as actively shaping past, present and future experiences.

The NYC carriage drivers are very upset that there has been a movement to ban their industry and have engaged the services of the Teamsters Union to influence the City Council. They do not actually have a "union shop" since it includes owners and drivers and only about 1/3 of the people in their business. It is more for the appearance and to put pressure on the City Council.They admitted they did it because they were "under attack" by the groups that wanted a ban of their industry.

The owners cry about losing jobs and not having a raise in over 20 years – how everyone is picking on them. They are the good guys and everyone else is bad.

But hold on here. Let's get the facts. Let's review recent history. How does Karma have anything to do with the carriage industry and what is happening now?

In the fall of 2005, Tom McMahon, carriage horse lobbyist

-- and husband of Linda Gibbs, Deputy Mayor of Health and Human Services,

-- which oversees the Department of Heath and Mental Hygiene,

-- which in turn oversees the carriage horse industry, (that sure sounds cozy)

put through a bill in the City Council that would BAN THE PEDICAB INDUSTRY. Yes, you heard right.

They wanted to kill off the pesky but burgeoning pedicab industry because they were stealing their territory and customers. It did not matter to them that many people would lose their jobs as long as it was not them. Fortunately, the bill did not go anywhere when Council members began to remove their names.

So now the shoe is on the other foot; the chickens have come home to roost and what goes around comes around. Yes, you do reap what you sow and you also get a taste of your own medicine.

But the carriage industry is lucky in a sense. A new business has been offered to them on a silver platter for the taking ... classic replica hybrid touring cars ... being proposed to phase out the horse-drawn carriages. The driver/owners are very opposed to it.

Since the industry has probably seen its hay day and will begin to unravel in a few years with the development of the far west side (Hudson yards project) – it is curious that these owners are so opposed to this offer, depriving their own workers an opportunity to make a better living. The jobs will be union, pay more and offer benefits. They say that it does not exist elsewhere; that the person behind the proposal is out to get their land; that they are horse people and will never give up. "Bring it on" they say.

This is all very unfortunate and just confirms that the thinking behind this industry is not very innovative or creative. Maybe the "exact" business does not exist elsewhere, but similar ones do. Besides, why can't NYC be number one? Rome is also considering vintage cars to replace the horses and their proposals are independent of the NYC's.

But money talks and maybe the pot is just not sweet enough. Maybe the owners want a financial interest in this new business to make it worth their while. Maybe the negotiations need to continue because this issue is not going away ... even if the City Council is dumb enough to pass Intro 35.

Gothamist Poll: Eliminate Horse-Carriage Industry All Together.

The Gothamist, an online publication, recently ran a poll concerning NYC carriage horses. The poll is now closed.

The question posed is listed below followed by the choices and the number of votes cast for each.

A total of 871 votes were cast.

How should the carriage horse industry be transformed?

Only allow horse-drawn carriage rides in Central Park. 10% (87 votes)

Replace horses with antique fuel-efficient electric cars. 31% (267 votes)

Provide the horses with a vacation and safer working conditions. 24% (211 votes)

Eliminate the carriage horse industry all together.

35% (306 votes)

The winner was clearly the option to eliminate the carriage horses industry winning more than 1/3 of the votes cast. However what makes this even more interesting is that when coupled with the option of replacing the horses with electric cars, which got just under 1/3 of the votes - it equals about 66% of the vote.

The people have said it is time to move this city forward and retire the horses.

Is the City Council listening?

WHAT WAS NIVEA THINKING?

You know Nivea - that company that produces not-so-great skin care products and cannot quite compete with the likes of Revlon, Avon and L'Oreal. Well they got desperate and someone had what they thought was a bright idea.

On Valentine's Day, many of the horses and carriages in New York's Central Park were covered with Nivea advertising. "Take a ride!" "Get a Nivea goody bag!" "Share the hugs and kisses." Oh puleeze!

It was the epitome of tackiness. What next? Advertising Pepsi on the horse's back or maybe McDonald's?

Don't they know what a mess they just got involved in? I guess they have no clue about how the horses are treated or maybe they just don't care ... about their too small stalls on upper level multi-storied stables on the far west side of Manhattan --(no they do not live in idyllic Central Park); how they never have the opportunity to get daily pasture time; how they work nine hours a day, seven days a week in all kinds of nasty weather; how they work nose to tailpipe sucking up car exhaust, on hard surfaces that cause concussive injuries -- all to make a buck for their owner.



After all that is what it is about - the almighty dollar.




And when the horses are too tired to make the run anymore, they are "humanely disposed" of. This means, of course, that they can be sent to the New Holland auction in Pennsylvania (or equivalent) and may come to the attention of greedy kill buyers who are always looking for more horse flesh for the European market.



Please contact Nivea (owned by Beirsdorf) and tell them you will not buy their product anymore.

Don't let them get away with not having a heart for the horses.

Leslie Kickham, 203-563-5821
lkickham@bdfusa.com


When we asked one of the couples why they were taking a ride - the man laughed and said he planned to have a horse meat dinner after.

The carriage driver laughed ..... lovely people.

IS THE DOH ACTUALLY ADMITTING THE IMPOSSIBILITY OF A HUMANE CARRIAGE HORSE INDUSTRY?

Suggests Current Multi-Level Stables are Unacceptable

But Still Can't Even Recommend Accepted Standard for Stall Size

The Department of Health and Mental Hygiene will hold a public hearing on Wednesday, February 3rd on proposals to allegedly improve the horse-carriage industry. Horse advocates are expected to provide comments. But try as they might, the DoHMH cannot even meet industry standards for horses with their new proposals.

While touting a five week vacation for horses per year, the DoH fails to acknowledge that experts advise that horses need daily turnout or pasture time – time to run, buck, roll, play with other horses and sleep in the pasture. This helps with colic, nutrition, tying up disease and a horse's overall well being. The DoH knows it is impossible to do this in NYC and to treat the horses like living creatures and not money making machines.

The DoH is also trying to pull the veil of transparency down and do away with the engraved number identification on the horses hoof so it will be impossible for the public to report with accuracy a lame or sick horse. This 4-digit number has also previously helped to locate and rescue horses in slaughter auctions.

Because the DoH obviously wants the industry to remain viable and because these proposals were made with input from the carriage industry, the new recommended size of stalls is 70 sq. feet -- less then ½ the recommended size for a 1,000 pound horse. Currently the regulations only require 48 sq. ft. Experts recommend a stall size of 12 x 12 feet – 144 sq. feet for a 1,000 pound horses and 14 x 14 foot minimum for the large draft breeds.

Cramming a horse into such a small stall because that is the only space available is like squeezing a size 9 foot into a size 6 shoe. Very uncomfortable!

The DoH is also not able to address the available potable water issue for horses. The two water troughs in Central Park are turned off for half the year depriving the horses of free flowing (albeit questionable) water in the Park. But public water troughs are a known source of microbes - a place where drunks can urinate and people have been seen washing up -- where a horse can pick up a disease and pass it on to another horse. It is a veterinarian's nightmare.

But the pièce de résistance is the DoH’s position on new stables. Starting January 31, 2011, “no new stables shall be equipped with stalls that are located above first or street level of the stable.“ This will not affect any of the existing stables, which are grandfathered in, but it officially acknowledges a new correct standard – and essentially admits that it is both inhumane and dangerous to house horses on upper levels as they are all housed how – as horse advocates have always claimed. It is difficult on older horses to make the ramp every day and it becomes a fire hazard if there were a fire on the ground level. The ramp would act as a chimney and there is only one means of egress in the front of the building on the ground floor. The horses would die.

These proposals are a sad attempt to make improvements to a faltering out-of-control industry. They only prove that it is impossible to run this trade humanely in New York City. The Department of Health and the City need to come to this realization and to stop wasting City resources.

NYC Health Dept. Proposes New Regulations for Carriage Horses

The NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene has proposed new updates and revisions to Health Code Article 161 and Chapter 4 of the Commissioner's Regulations concerning carriage horses. A public hearing will be convened on Tuesday, February 3, 2010 at 125 Worth St.

While we understand that the DoH is limited in what they can regulate, we nevertheless applaud their efforts in trying to improve conditions for NYC carriage horses.

However there are some proposed regulations that are window dressing and deserve comments.

It is suggested that horses get five weeks vacation a year. Taken out of context, this sounds good - more than most people get. But here's the rub.

These horses work nine hours a day, seven days a week in congested traffic in all kinds of bad weather conditions. They live in cramped stalls in multistoried warehouses. They are herd animals and need daily turnout - a pasture to run free and socialize with other horses. This does not exist in the barren warehouse buildings where they live. Five weeks of vacation is meaningless in this context because the horses are broken and exhausted by the time they are eligible for a "vacation." This is simply a nod to the industry sanctioning something that is totally unenforceable.

There are many other problems with these proposed regulations including the disingenuous so called smoking ban. The real danger to the horse's lungs comes from living a nose to tailpipe existence, sucking up car and bus exhaust all day. The only way to change that is to ban the industry from operating.

At the same time the proposed regs will prohibit drivers talking on their cell phones, texting, reading newspapers, taking pictures and videos while driving and otherwise not paying attention to the road - something that is very prevalent among the drivers.

We also understand that the Department of Health must follow the lead of the mayor who up to now has supported the industry. But, it still sounds like the City is horsing around with these regulations, trying to placate critics of the industry and some of the Advisory board members at the same time.

This small “industry”, made up of only a couple of hundred people, for some reason has a hold on city politicians. Thinking people, however, know this anachronistic trade can never be made right. The only logical and humane solution is to shut down this business and to retire the horses to sanctuaries - saving them from a life of exploitation pulling unsafe carriages around crowded streets.

We are in a new decade. Let’s make it right for the horses.

UNDERCOVER INVESTIGATION == HORSES GO TO THE DOGS

Hey everyone. Good to be back in the old US of A working the blogs again. I’ve spent the last several months in Europe visiting family in Manchester and my college buddies now living in London and Rome. Great trip. I got to hang out and protest with activists in Rome and saw the carriage horses or Botticelle as they call them there. It’s just as bad as New York City.

Having been home for a while now, I’ve been catching up with what's going down with the carriage horses. I joined the Coalition to Ban Horse-Drawn Carriages and Friends of Animals on December 5th, which is the international day of action for carriage horses around the world. You can even see me in some of the video that was shot. I am in the back, of course.

The Coalition had access to an undercover investigation done by Animals Angels and it is on their web site. West Side Livery stable on W. 38th Street was the main subject of the rally. The pictures shown here were taken at that stable and are from the report.

Since I have been back, I’ve learned that the ASPCA managed to convince the City Council to delete the section from a dangerous bill, Intro 653A, that would have removed the ability of the ASPCA’s agents to do inspections of the stables. Bully for them, but what about the horses?

News gets around through the Internet and while I was in London, I saw a petition about this very topic. The ASPCA was very sure that they would lose their power. They appealed to the world.

This is a section from one of those letters: "ASPCA agents monitor the care and condition of the horses, checking stalls for proper bedding, size and cleanliness. They also check on feed to ensure that a proper amount is on hand and that it is free of vermin, as well as evaluate lighting, ventilation and unsafe conditions at the stables."

I’m here to tell you that THIS IS A LIE and not to believe the ASPCA! The City Council should not have been so quick to let them continue to inspect the stables since they do not do a good job.

However, the whole thing is messed up because while the ASPCA is incompetent, everyone was afraid that the carriage industry would self regulate. This (if you can believe it) would be worse.

Hey... Don't believe what I say. The proof of the ASPCA's incompetence is West Side Livery. It's one of five carriage horse stables in New York City. The conditions in this stable happened on the ASPCA’s watch. It's a hell hole. However, this is also proof of what would happen and be more wide spread if the industry self regulated. It's a classic example of people who really care (us) being caught between a rock and a hard place.

The pictures from the Angels' report show filthy stables and dirty horses with urine and feces stains. It also shows tie stalls that confine a horse like a veal crate with the horses tethered to their feeding trough. In referring to the bad air circulation at the stable, the Angels' report stated that "only a few fans are installed on each floor and one can only imagine the temperatures there during the hot summer months."

The report also mentioned that they found plastic "water" buckets in the stalls that were empty. It went on to state "The stalls had very poor bedding, a thin layer of sawdust only covering parts of the stall so that the horses were forced to stand on the bare floor." The most important part of the report was about fire protection. "Fire protection is another concern with this stable. The horses have to be untied from the feed troughs and evacuated from the upper floors, which would be extremely difficult. In addition, no sprinkler system and no other fire protection devices were observed except some “fire buckets” filled with sand." Fire protection experts say that the steep ramp found in all multistoried stables would act as a chimney if there were a fire, likely killing everything on the upper floors. Having grown up on a farm, I know how timid and fearful horses can be. They would never escape. They would die.

Thank you incompetent ASPCA. Thank you corrupt City Council.

So, why is the ASPCA still allowed to "inspect" these stables? I understand they made a deal (with the devil) to support this terrible bill in exchange for being allowed to keep their inspection powers.

Only in New York, kids. Only in New York. I might just go back to the UK. I've had it with the incompetence, the fraud, the corruption, and the sell outs.

note: photos courtesy of Animals' Angels via Coalition to Ban Horse-Drawn Carriages web site.

Make your voice heard on Sept. 15!

Vote for Tony Avella in the Democratic primary

Tony Avella introduced the landmark legislation that would ban New York City's inhumane horse-drawn carriage industry. He also has sponsored all manner of humane legislation, including the pets-in-housing bill (can you imagine not being able to have a pet?) Truly, he is the best friend that New York City animals have ever had.

Avella works tirelessly for our neighborhoods, something that surely can't be said of Bloomberg or Thompson. Their allegiances are to the real estate industry, not to the people of New York City. Avella is a fighter for small businesses that have been exploited mercilessly. He is a passionate advocate for fixing our broken education system, by empowering teachers and parents and by putting an end to "teaching to the test."

Do your neighbors know what Tony Avella has done for our city? Do the small businesses in your neighborhood? Now is the time to let them know that he has been championing their cause! Spread the word. People will likely be glad to hear from you that there is a meaningful choice. Make history on September 15. Vote in the Democratic primary for the progressive candidate, Tony Avella.

TAKE ACTION! Window and lawn signs are available from the Avella campaign! Request yours today. Contact Hema Patel, Field Director, Tony Avella for Mayor.
PHONE: 718-855-7035
EMAIL: action@tonyavellaformayor.com