GENNARO REMOVES HIS NAME FROM INDUSTRY BILL + LIAM'S NEW DIGS

Hey - I see that Council Member James Gennaro took his name off the industry bill. He is no longer the prime sponsor or even on the bill - Intro 653-A. Very interesting. Maybe he saw the light. Maybe he saw Blinders: the truth behind the tradition. Maybe he really has a conscience. Go James ... I think. Maybe someone should ask him in person since he is on the Consumer Affairs Committee and will be one of the Council Members listening to testimony at the public hearing on Friday, January 30th.

Yes - don't forget to come to the hearing - January 30, 2009 - be there at 9:30 -- City Hall - 2nd floor Council Chambers.

But then, maybe Gennaro will be a no show so the drivers will not chase him around City Hall Park as they did to Dryfoos back in the day. CM Dryfoos was the sponsor of an anti industry bill. CM Avella - we advise you to wear your sneakers, just in case. CM Gennaro - you are on your own.



And on to Liam Neeson, who is saying anything to defend the carriage industry. On the Daily Show the other night, in talking about the stables, he said they were so neat and clean that "I would move in tomorrow." OK Liam, we dare you.

Liam's new digs to the left - wonder what floor he is on. Love the windows.

And here is Liam's Living Room with galley kitchen to the left. I think he needs an area rug and some pictures on the walls. Maybe flowers would brighten it up a bit. Architectural Digest material? .... maybe with a little paint.

Because this is a non elevator building (the latest rage), Liam will have to walk a steep ramp to get to
his living quarters. I hope his legs are strong
enough.

PUBLIC HEARING FOR CARRIAGE HORSE BILL

The Consumer Affairs Committee public hearing on the carriage horse bills has been rescheduled for Friday, January 30, 2009 at 10:00 AM in Council Chambers. This is on the 2nd floor of City Hall. As of this date, both Intro 658/2007 (Avella) and Intro 653-A/2007 (Gennaro) will be on the agenda. Intro 658 seeks to ban the industry. Intro 653-A is an industry bill and must be opposed.

Please come to the hearing ... it is open to everyone ... and please consider providing testimony in support of Avella's bill as to why the industry should be banned. Testimony cannot be longer than two minutes.

COALITION TO BAN HORSE-DRAWN CARRIAGES FUND-RAISING PARTY ON OCTOBER 14TH

I have been very busy as of late helping my friends at the Coalition to Ban Horse-Drawn Carriages with their fund raiser, which is tomorrow, October 14th. I hope you can make it. They are a very hard working all volunteer group that is making a difference with this issue. Before they began, there had been no discussion about how inhumane this industry is since maybe 1994.

When I found out that their first choice of venue caved into pressure from the carriage industry and canceled their benefit, I went to work to find another place for them. I never liked the first restaurant anyway. It was an odd space ... much too cramped for their needs. So I called my friends at Mantra and voila! a new venue. And these folks are very supportive of this cause.

So here it is:

Date: Tuesday October 14, 2007
Time: 6PM to 10PM
Where: Mantra986 at 986 Second Avenue between 52nd and 53rd St. - 2nd floor
Tickets: $30 if you pay on line. And $40 at the door. A great deal for great talent and great vegan food from the finest restaurants in New York City ..... and a great cause!!

Their invitation reads: "The Coalition to Ban Horse-Drawn Carriages is hosting its second fund- raising party at Mantra986 on Second Avenue in Manhattan to benefit the Coalition's mission of abolishing the inhumane carriage horse industry in New York City. Please join us for an enjoyable and fun-filled evening as we celebrate our accomplishments and raise money to help continue our campaign efforts. And please check out our online Silent Auction catalog. "

Council Member Tony Avella will be a special guest. Donny Moss, director of "Blinders:the truth behind the tradition" will speak about the making of his film. Entertainment includes Fiona Walsh, Irish comic and animal activist who will be the MC; singers Joy Askew and Nellie McKay and comics Ann Design and Liam McNeaney.

"The party will feature an enticing array of vegan hors d'oeuvres from Blossom, Candle 79, Caravan of Dreams, Franchia, Mantra 986, Pongol, Streit's Bakery, VP2, VSpot, Wendy Berkovits Vegan Chef, Whole Earth Bakery and Zen Palate -- a cash bar, and a silent auction of appealing and interesting items to be sold to the highest bidder. All proceeds will support the Coalition's various campaigns aimed at ending the suffering of the carriage horse. "

See you there! Let's Party!

BTW - the horse above is Big Boy Teddy. He is a rescued carriage horses now living in Massachusetts. He is one happy, heel kicking boy.

O

CHAOS IN BROOKLYN AS WEDDING HORSES SPOOK

Double Trouble? or unwitting victims of horse slavery? (hint - it's the latter.)

So once again, we learn that two horses spooked while waiting to deliver a bride and groom to their "fantasy" wedding. Romantic? hardly. What was it this time -- a basket ball, a loud noise; rustling leaves? These 1,500 pound horses nearly caused a very serious accident after they tore down the street in panic, jumping on to a car. That car belonged to a family of several adults and one baby who narrowly managed to get out of the way. It is not known how badly injured the driver or horses are -- although the newspapers seemed to play this down.

City Council: are you paying attention? Or are you too interested in plotting how to extend term limits or abolish them altogether so you can keep your jobs?

Just the other day, an elderly man was knocked to the ground by a spooked police horse in San Francisco at Candlestick Park. The horse panicked when a plastic bag blew in his face and got caught on his bridle. He tore around the parking lot, knocking several people down. The 49ers fan died several hours later.

City Council: Pass Intro 658 - the bill to ban horse-drawn carriages. It is past time to do the right thing. It's only a matter of time before a person dies in NYC. Then who's going to say "I told you so!"

PLAYING STICKS? NOT FOR NYC CARRIAGE HORSES

“Horse-Drawn Carriage Ban” is a short well done video by Jennifer Pham and can be seen on You Tube. It features my friend, Elizabeth Forel, who is the president of the Coalition to Ban Horse-Drawn Carriages, a grass roots organization that is responsible for making this inhumane and archaic industry an issue again after years of non attention.

In the film, Elizabeth describes what free horses do … they have tons of personality unlike the carriage horses she describes as unwitting automatons. Free horses roll in the dirt and play sticks. I know the horses she is referring to since I have also met them … Monty, a former Boston Carriage horse - now rescued ,,, and Sugar, his friend, who passed away recently. They are pictured here enjoying themselves.

But before I describe how this wonderful game is played, I offer a blog entry by a bitter member of the carriage industry who says: "E.Forel,please tell me how horses ''play sticks'',I'd like to add that to my editorial in The American Driving Society,and Driving Digest,2 very well known carriage sriving magazines,i'm sure htey would get a good laugh at that."

Her comments speak volumes about how much the carriage industry does not know about horse behavior. Elizabeth goes on to say how the carriage horses are dispirited animals and when they are rescued the light comes back in their eyes.

RULES FOR STICKS: Take two free and happy horses not in the carriage industry. In this case, we have Monty, (white) ....and Sugar (brown). One of the horses must already know how to play this game. Sugar learned it from Abe, who is now also at the Rainbow Bridge. He taught it to Monty.

HOW IT WORKS: Sugar, generally the instigator, picks a twig up from the ground and goes up to Monty and pokes him with it. If Money is in the mood, he grabs the stick in his mouth and what follows is a tug of war. This is what is pictured above. Really fun to watch them enjoying this game and each other.

This is a picture of Monty and Sugar playing in the snow. They were very good pals and had a ball that day. NYC carriage horses are not given this opportunity.

For those who do not know: NYC Carriage horses work in heavy traffic between the shafts of their carriages for nine hours straight, seven days a week. They do not have any turnout where they can socialize. Instead, they live in multied storied stables where they access their stalls by ascending a steep ramp. It is very sad.

For this person to not get that horses really know how to enjoy themselves is outrageous. And these pictures prove it!

Pictured to the right is a NYC carriage horse...a horse slave. His body is covered with glitter; he is wearing a silly head dress and his hoofs are painted with metallic purple paint. Yes, perhaps the paint is non toxic, but that is not the point. This horse is not free...not even close. After dragging

tourists around all day, he will go back to his stall and stay there until the next day. Now tell me...What kind of life is that!

ONE YEAR LATER -- BUSINESS AS USUAL FOR THE HORSES

The letter below was published recently in Our Town and The West Side Spirit - Manhattan neighborhood papers. This reflects our beliefs precisely. So rather than to reinvent the wheel, we print it gain. We ask that the City Council take some action on this issue. For more information, please access the NYC Comptroller's Audit Report on their web site and read the New York Times article that addressed this issue. This horse stands in his own waste on the Central Park South hack line.

8/14/08 -Horses Need Summer Break - - It has been a very hot and humid summer. Uncomfortable for people - but worse for the carriage horses who cannot get any relief. Kept out in the blazing sun, horses can easily overheat. As sweat evaporates from the horse's skin, it acts as a cooling mechanism, drawing out some of the surface heat. But in times of high humidity, it is less efficient. If the air is humid, sweat will not evaporate. There is no shade on Central Park South or Grand Army Plaza where the carriage horses line up to accept passengers - the unforgiving sun beating down on their heads. They stand there waiting - with their blinders and heavy tack, between the shafts of their carriage.

The 2007 NYC Comptroller's Audit of the agencies that oversee the industry found that there isn't adequate shade on the hack line and horses risked overheating on the hot asphalt where they were forced to stand. One year later and nothing has changed. Existing regulations call for the horses to be returned to their stables when the temperature reaches 90 degrees - humidity is not a consideration. It can be 89 degrees with humidity making it feel like 95 and the horses are permitted to work. But equine experts suggest when the combination of temperature and humidity or THI exceeds 130-140, the horses should be off the street. It is time for the authorities to pay attention to the stress experienced by these horses and at least factor humidity into the existing law. Elizabeth Forel - President Coalition to Ban Horse Drawn Carriages.

"HUMANE BOX STALL" sure it is

This poor horse is not even able to lie down comfortably as she sits in this disgusting, dirty, vile stall, which the carriage industry defends. It is located in the same stable on W. 38th St. pictured below.

For those of you who have horses - could you imagine letting your own beloved horse work in this inhumane industry ... to access her filthy stall by way of a steep ramp?

Pictures do not lie.