NYC CARRIAGE HORSE STABLES - YOU BE THE JUDGE.

CARRIAGE HORSE STABLES

There are good horse stables and there are bad horse stables.

Judge for yourself

    In NYC, the law allows carriage horse horse stalls to be as small as 60 square feet – 6’ x 10’ – even though many of the horses are large drafts weighing upwards of 2,000 pounds.  Equine  experts recommend stalls be 144 square feet or 12' x 12'  - with even more space

    provided to larger horses.  There is not enough space in NYC to do this right and the
    drivers want to cram in as many money-making machines (horses) as possible.  This is,

    after all, a business - not a horse-sanctuary.  When these horses cannot cut it anymore,

    they are gone.  

   
    The law does not require turnout to pasture since the land does not exist.  The law also

    allows the stalls to be on upper floors – accessible by a steep ramp.  How steep is it you

    ask?  Imagine a warehouse building with two floors connected by a staircase.  Remove

    the stair and replace it with a ramp, which because of the small space, is very steep.  This

    is how the horses access their stalls.  It is uncomfortable for them,  especially the older

    ones, to go up and down every day. The ideal is to have the stalls on the first floor.  

   These are some pictures published by ChelseaNow lauding these stables as old New 

    York.  But they are not historical landmark material.  They are just old, smelly, decrepit 

   buildings that warehouse horses like a prison. 

   These pictures are available for the public via this newspaper.  However they are nothing

   to be proud of. 

Chateau Stables on 48th St. - This stall is too small for this carriage horse at 60 square feet.   The horse still wears a  halter.  Although permissible, it is obviously done for the convenience of the drivers.  But it is uncomfortable for a horse to wear it 24/7.   More proof that these horses are just "products" and money making machines. 

Carriage Horse stable - Although Liam Neeson might want to live here, it is a disaster for horses.  Note that it has one means of egress in the middle.  If there were a fire, the horses would panic trying to descend a ramp to get out one exit.   This is what the unions and City Council want to preserve? 

Carriage Horse stable - Clinton Stables  on 52nd St. - It is not OK for a horse to be sharing his oats with pigeons.  The pigeons defecate on the oats in the bucket, which is then eaten by the horses. 

West Side Livery on 38th St. - small and cramped and dirty.  Couldn't they at least have cleaned up for the photographer?  I guess they did not care. 
 Again - horses wearing halters.



WHAT A STABLE SHOULD BE AND
 HOW HORSES SHOULD LIVE

This stable belongs to a rescue in Massachusetts.  The stalls are 12' x 12' with a 10' wide aisle.  Note the horses are not wearing halters while resting.  The name of this rescue is withheld to prevent them from being harassed.  

Horses are herd animals and love to graze.   This is something that is not available for them in NYC. 

      NYC should not be supporting this business.  It is cruel and inhumane to the horses.  No 

     matter how hard the carriage owners, Liam Neeson, some of the Council members and 

     others try to make this look romantic and "olde New York."  it is inhumane and marks NYC

     as one that does not care about animals. 

    

     It is also unsafe and dangerous to people whether the horses are housed in Hells Kitchen or Central Park.

  

     Additionally, the 68 medallion owners are the only ones who make out here -- not the

      drivers.  Do not believe that there are 350 "good union jobs."  There are only 120 drivers

     who belong to the union and they receive no benefits. 

     Unions are losing membership all over the country and they need this to show their

    strength.  But it is based on a lie at the expense of the horses.  The Mayor and Council 
    Members are terrified that the unions will come after them in the next election. 

 

    So in the end -- what are they trying to protect?  What is really behind all of this nonsense?

    Is this the kind of city you want to live in?  

    ###  

     

Icons of Misery: Take a Good Look Around the Hack Line

Look down the next time you visit the hack line. There's more misery than you may know.

It's difficult not to recognize the horses' suffering. Exploited for greed and entertainment, the NYC carriage horse is an icon of misery. These dispirited horses travel up to 4 miles a day in heavy traffic, suffer concussive injuries and lameness from pounding the pavement, and don't get enough water.

New York City carriage horses also must share their feed with starving pigeons. This contaminates the feed and puts horses at risk for illness.



It's not an anomaly, it's the norm. The carriage drivers don't discourage it. In fact, they often throw feed on the filthy ground.

Picture it: New York City carriage horses stand around
in excessive heat and cold waiting for fares. The horses are watered inadequately and eat feed that is tainted with pigeon droppings.


Miserable, right? It's bad for the horses and it endangers the lives of the pigeons, who frequently fall victim to the wheels of the carriage.

This happened during our September demo & outreach event. The poor hungry birds are there one minute, gone the next. As always, one of our activists took the pigeon's body into the park, out of respect.

A ban critic recently said that the horses are happy and the pigeons are, too.  I recommend that everyone wake up and take a good look around the hack line--and don't forget to look down.

The ban will make New York City a better place.



Side note: Pigeons are wonderful creatures. An August 2014 Epoch Times cover story ("New York Too Busy to Care? Center Rescues City's Injured Birds") warned against bird bigotry and gave us a history lesson on the heroic birds. The reporter wrapped it up by saying, "By the time I had done an elementary Google search, I was ready to get down on the ground and salute them."

WORKING TO BAN HORSE-DRAWN CARRIAGES - two recent articles

NYC carriage horse "parked" over steam vent on 1/27/14 - photo by Mary Culpepper

These are excerpts from  two recent pieces - one an interview by Nicole M. Arcielo of the Times Union in which she gave me an opportunity to get the truth out.  The other was a blog on Vegan Publisher blog.  There is a link to both sites where you can read the entire articles.

WORKING TO BAN HORSE-DRAWN CARRIAGES

an interview by the Times Union

I was interviewed by Nicole M. Arcielo of the Times Union -Working to Ban Horse-Drawn Carriages. This is an excerpt:

A driver was charged with animal cruelty recently. Has this ever happened before? Will it help pave the way for the ban? This is the first time someone was caught. It was an NYPD officer who made the arrest and it is probably because they took over enforcing the cruelty laws on January 1st. The officer was probably more sensitive to the suffering. It is odd that only the NY Times reported on this cruelty arrest.

While on paper it looks like the trade is heavily regulated by many City agencies, these regulations are mostly not enforced. The ASPCA officers - fewer than 20 - handled the whole state. They would have had to assign one officer to each driver to keep up with them and that was never going to happen. But I wonder why no one else noticed this lame horse for four days - not the stable manager, not the owner and not the many drivers who work out of Clinton Stable. That is shameful and just confirms to me that they don't care and see these horses as objects, as money makers. I also wonder about the stall in which Blondie lived. A very common cause of thrush, which was the cause of the lameness, is filthy urine soaked straw bedding.nose to carriage (2) Here are videos of violations activists have amassed. Even though these have been turned over to the Department of Health and Consumer Affairs, nothing is generally done about any of this. Perhaps it was because Agency Commissioners are appointed by the Mayor (Bloomberg in this case) and did not want to rock the boat since Bloomberg supported the industry. The ASPCA also never responded to these videos.

BAN OF THE HORSE-DRAWN CARRIAGE TRADE IN NY

by Elizabeth Forel - guest blogger on Vegan Publisher

Ban of the Horse-Drawn Carriage Trade in New York -- by Elizabeth Forel - guest blogger on Vegan Publishers. This is an excerpt: 

WHY THE BUSINESS NEEDS TO BE SHUT DOWN: These slow moving, flimsy conveyances do not belong in the heavy congested streets of NYC, which is always an accident waiting to happen. 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 countries and if this business is allowed to continue, it is only a matter of time before someone is killed here.

The horses work nine hours a day, seven days a week between the shafts of their carriages where they do not have the freedom to scratch an itch - something everyone takes for granted. During the holiday season when the drivers are busy, the horses are worked to exhaustion - never resting. At other times of the year, when there is little business, they wait at the hack line bored, stomping their hooves until they get yelled at. The more fortunate ones just fall asleep. But they all have that disinterested faraway look as they stand dispirited while their drivers ignore them, often shooting the breeze with their cronies.


They live in multi-level drab and dark stables in upper floor stalls that are less than half the size of what experts recommend. They are accessed by a steep ramp. The horses have no turn out to pasture - no place to graze and socialize with the other horses. The stables have one means of egress and if there were a fire, the horses living on upper floors would not be able to get out. It is a tragedy waiting to happen.

###

NYC CARRIAGE HORSES LIVE IN A CONCRETE JUNGLE!

West Side Livery  - looks dismal

Horse experts say that a horse should have pasture time every day for 16 to 18 hours.

They recommend between 1 and 1 ½ acres of pasture per horse.  This is where the horses graze, exercise, hang out with his herd, play, mutually groom each other – a great stress reliever.  

But alas, it does not exist in NYC.     New York City carriage horses have no turnout to pasture. 

Instead, the stables are old warehouse-like buildings with no access to green pasture.  When a horse finishes his nine-hour workday, he is taken back to the stable and put in his inadequately sized stall until the next day.  The stalls are less than half what experts recommend – 60 sq. ft legally – as opposed to 144 –196 sq. ft.   This is like squeezing Cinderella’s sister’s foot into her slipper.   The horses cannot lie down comfortably and stretch out their limbs.  Only a few years ago, it was actually worse - 48 sq. ft.  And the "industry," always in denial,  defended it. 

Is the horse washed and groomed after he returns from working when he is still sweaty?  Or is he groomed in the morning when he is taken out to work having had to stay the night in his sweat?  Or does it happen at all?  There are no legal requirements and it is expected that these “horse experts” will do what is right for the horse and not themselves.  But we have seen some of the horses with urine and feces stains on their hides and many look like they have not been brushed and groomed in a long time.

But hey – what do we know – the carriage supporters say we know nothing about horses while they have all the answers.  Our complaints are met with defensive insults and denials. This is their M.O. 

For five weeks out of the year, horses are required by law to be sent for “furlough.”  The NYC Department of Health claims not to have a record of the farms, nor do they inspect them.  It is not required.  The public does not know if these horses are made to work, are fed properly – or are kept in a stall for the duration of their time away.    It is simply not known.  In a NY Post article dated November 2, 2011, Dr. Pamela Corey, former director of equine veterinary services of the ASPCA’s humane law-enforcement department said, “We have observed some horses returning to New York City after furloughs on a farm in worse condition than when they left.”  No one ever investigated this statement.  

But the gullible media – never wanting to challenge an issue – refers to this time away as a “vacation” – not understanding that this word is a human concept. 

These horses do not need vacation.  They need daily turnout.  And they do not get it. 

Experts say that pastured horses are generally happier than stabled horses.  It is a more natural lifestyle allowing them the opportunity to socialize with their herd; roll, play or do nothing if they choose.  They have the opportunity for natural exercise.  They get to act like real horses – not horse slaves.    

NYC carriage horse standing over a manhole from which steam is pouring. 

This is an excellent article called “Pasturing Guidelinesfor Horses” written by Dr. Judy Marteniuk, equine extension veterinarian at Michigan State University, College of Veterinary Medicine.  

So the next time you see a carriage horse pulling a carriage around Central Park, please know that he does not live in the park.  Those green lawns are simply a tease.  And know that these gentle  horses are quietly suffering because they do not live like they should.  

This is yet another reason to close down this inhumane and abusive business and save the horses.  

###

A FLY ON THE WALL

The inner workings of the {{{{ brains }}}}  of the NYC carriage drivers and their supporters.    

A playbook for a pro carriage horse trade campaign 

famous controversial driver giving the finger to activists

The NYC carriage trade was recently shaken up by a scandal involving a driver yelling homophobic, racist and sexist remarks to activists who were handing out literature against the carriage trade – it was captured on YouTube and in the media.     

Instead of taking total responsibility for this outrage, the carriage trade went on the defensive,   essentially saying that the activists deserved this because the driver was provoked.  They got someone at Rupert Murdoch’s NY Post to write a piece against the activists - again missing the point.  

But they never took responsibility for their bad behavior.  

Entering into the drama is  Chronicles of the Horse or COTH,  an open forum in which many carriage trade supporters participate.  The thread referenced here is called  Headsup---What will happen to the NY carriage horses?   This link comes through on Google Alerts for all to see. 

The discussion  quickly morphed into  “what does one do with these awful people; these RARAS (radical animal rights activists); these extremists?”    

 

horse very close to taxi in heavy traffic

Like the bullies they are, all of these COTH folks hide behind their true identities with made up screen names, making outrageous accusations about us; telling lie after lie that they want desperately to believe.  They listen to the NYC Carriage Queen, (screen name) MichaleenFlynn, who gives them their marching orders with the current threat that NYC activists are targeting the entire world.  We want to put an end to all working animals and rid the world of all animals, including cats and dogs.  For the record -- the Coalition to Ban Horse-Drawn Carriage is opposed to urban carriage horse businesses - like NYC, Rome, Atlanta, Charleston, Savannah - and so on.  This is our campaign.  Period.  

They delight in calling us “fanatics, rabid animal rights extremists, nut jobs, fruit bats and  loons“  They say things like “They're fanatics. There's little difference between them and people who fly planes into buildings.  They walk a fine line between activist and terrorist.”   

This is the extent of their argument.  It is never substantive.   They only deal with hyperbole. 

All of the comments below are copied and pasted from this forum.

One of the participants,  LauraKY from Kentucky,  said about the carriage association’s stance on this incidence,    “BTW, when an apology is followed by but or however, it's not an apology. You guys really need to work on your PR. You should have thrown him under the bus.”

Sounds reasonable?  Well we’ll get back to Laura in a minute.  She is preparing the playbook.   But in the meantime, these COTH members really believe the trade does not have the money to hire PR consultants.  The truth is that the carriage trade spends thousands on lobbyists each year and has hired PR consultants in the past.  They have money.  Believe it.  They are a cash only business. 

Lynwood, another participant,  actually believes this: “The horses are available for 24 hr inspection by the ASPCA , the Department of Parks , and the other multiple agencies that over see them.” 

Huh – not in my New York City.  The ASPCA is volunteer only and has only 14 agents for all of NYC and state.    The laws are either badly enforced or are inadequate.  24 hours?  Yes perhaps in her imagination.  . 

And this in response to criticism that activists use video cameras … “ …  the drivers are not filming because they are DRIVING. They are attempting to make a living around a group of close minded people hurtling insults and badgering their business away using false words like "abuse". "

News flash to Lynwood -- the drivers not only film but read and text while driving.   The Department of Health tried to stop this in 2010 with new proposed regulations.  The carriage trade intervened and the regulations were rescinded. 

And back to LauraKY who gives PR tips for the world to see.  My favorite is this one. 

  

“And while they're doing that they need to dig up any piece of dirt on the RARAs they can and make sure it gets publicity...make it personal, I'm talking about dirt on individuals, you want to discredit them...without letting them know they are behind it. Take a look at politics, that's all this is. That's how it's done. Pure negative campaigning rarely wins in the end.”

Really nasty stuff there, Ms. Laura.  This tells us a lot about you and the carriage trade.  This is why the world is in the state it's in. 

AlternetReality  says  about the drivers “They are threatened with sabotage and poison. Their homes are at risk, their families have been threatened by raras, and yet they have some of the best cared-for, nicest horses in the world, doing a job with horses in a city built by horses, carrying forward a tradition and trade over 5000 years old.

Frankly, if someone sat there berating me with lies, insults, and threats for as long they have, and using lies to smear my name and my career, I'd have lost my temper years ago and probably started swinging fists over it.”

 

Holy Molys,  Alternet – you really are in an altered reality.  Threats of sabotage?; threats of poison?  …  Invectives and comments - yes  – but in response to the drivers' nasty words    – but never threats.  And if you think for a minute that the carriage drivers do not do much of the provoking, then your choice of a screen name is quite accurate.  5,000 years?  Are you kidding?  Before Christ?  The carriage tourist trade only goes back to the late 1940s in NYC.  As  for the best cared for horses?  I would not be so quick to say that.  You are not here to witness the accidents – many of which are captured by random eyewitnesses; or the brutal force some of the drivers use on their horses when they pull them by the bit, or the fact that many get sent to auction or otherwise “disappear;” or the fact that many of the drivers violate the law by overloading and working when it is over 90 degrees. 

Then Goneriding 24 escalated this thread by saying   “Why isn't threatening murder and hurting families not hate speech? “  Threatening murder?!   Is she mad??  Who is threatening murder?!  Good grief.  These people have a bizarre imagination. 

Not to be left out of providing scenarios for PR, Alternet  also suggested this:   “...hire two actors (dressed as seniors from out of town...or on their honeymoon) and make sure one of the RaRa's who is hurling insults at them is close enough for a senior (the old gal) to take a swipe with her purse...make sure you have your cameras ready...THAT will make the news...and give it another kick start.  You want a u tube to go viral...against the rara's." 

 Some people have suggested that if I expose this, they will go undercover and we will no longer be able to witness their lunacy.    Whatever.  We know what they are like. 

And we'll continue to fight the good fight. 

In the meantime,  this Playbook is available for all to see.  Enjoy.  

###

HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO TELL YOU????

A Spooked Horse can Kill! 

When you were a kid, did your mother ever tell you that you had a “thick skull” because you did not  want to listen to her ...  

or that you were "thick headed" because you just refused to follow her advice?   ... or maybe she just called you a blockhead.  

Well that is what the NY City Council and Mayor are when it comes to comprehending a basic truth about carriage horses.  All they have to do is to remember a few words -- "prey animals", "fearful", "bolt", and "unwitting weapons" -- and understand their implication.  

Horses are prey animals, which means that regardless of their large size, they are fearful of real or imagined terrors.  They are predictably unpredictable and when frightened, they will bolt and run away, charging  into cars, people, trees – anything that is in their way – anything to escape.  At 1,500 to 2,000 pounds, they become unwitting weapons and you better get out of their way if you see them coming!    

We have told our electeds about the problems with NYC's horses …. many, many  times. … but the political environment (special interests)  is just  too strong in good old NYC  so  this  dangerous and inhumane trade is allowed to  continue.   Horse-drawn carriages are an accident waiting to happen – particularly in highly traffic congested New York City where these flimsy, slow moving carriages mix in with cars, taxis, buses, fire trucks, ambulances, bikers, police cars, pedicabs -- anything on wheels.    

Horses have died – will a person be next?  

On July 4th weekend, a pair of horses spooked in a parade in Iowa and bolted, killing one woman and injuring 25 people.  On Monday, August 9th, the Austrian Press reported  a tragic accident in Hinterglemm, Salsburg where a horse spooked, bolted and trampled a 73-year-old French woman who was on vacation.  She died on the way to the hospital. 

In the last couple of years, two five year old girls, with their lives barely begun, were the victims of a spooked carriage horse  -- one in a parade in Tucson, AZ  - the other in St. Petersburg, Russia.  Both were trampled to death.  

So it seems like the handwriting is on the wall as Mom use to say - or did she cite  Murphy's law that said if anything can go wrong, it will eventually?     

As for me, I say it is only a matter of time before there is a tragic accident involving a person - so isn't  it better to be safe than sorry?  

There is a bill in the City Council - Intro 86 - which will create a new green industry of vintage hybrid/electric cars to take the place of horse-drawn carriages - providing jobs and investment opportunities for those displaced and mandating good homes and sanctuary for the horses.    

The bill is not going anyplace because the present  administration refuses to see the truth -- and because of politics.  And they wonder why people have lost faith in the system.... why so many  intelligent and thoughtful people do not vote any more.   This is why -- because Council Members are elected by their constituents and are ultimately accountable to those constituents  -- not the Council Speaker -- but tell them that once they get into office.    That's when they forget who they work for... 

Send the article about this tragic accident in Austria to your Council Member and to Mayor Bloomberg.  Tell them it is about time that they got serious about people's safety and banned horse-drawn carriages in NYC.  This deadly accident happened in Salzburg, it can happen in NYC.  

Council - click here

Mayor - click here     

 This is the sad article from Austria -- Austria Independent - August 9, 2010 
Tourist killed by bolting horse

A French woman suffered fatal head and chest injuries when a bolting horse charged into her on Saturday, it has emerged.

Officials in Hinterglemm, Salzburg, said today (Mon) the 73-year-old – on holiday with her husband – died in an ambulance on its way to a nearby clinic after the dramatic incident.

Police said the 16-year-old Haflinger pulling a carriage driven by a local pensioner, 67, had bolted and galloped over the woman standing on the sidewalk watching the local customs procession.

It is not known what caused the horse to start nor whether the uninjured animal will be put down over the accident.

This incident comes after a series of accidents involving Fiaker horse carriages in the federal capital Vienna.

A Fiaker driver had to be hospitalised after he was run over by his own carriage earlier this year. The man got off his parked vehicle when his two horses bolted. The animals, reportedly startled by a passing tram, trampled over the man before coming to a halt after a few metres.

An unnamed horse carriage raced through the Viennese city centre in another incident after being stirred up by the sound of a skateboard. The driver gave chase in a colleague’s carriage. Two parked cars were damaged before the carriage was eventually halted after its one-kilometre ride.

Horse carriages are a popular feature of local processions and traditional events, while thousands of tourists take them for a ride through the picturesque city centres of Vienna and Salzburg every year.