Resources and information to help end abusive horse-drawn carriage businesses.
The temporary pleasure society reaps from a 20-minute carriage ride hardly amounts to the immense pain and torture these voiceless horses face on a day-to-day basis.
Photo from Voters
for Animal Rights
As an animal protection organization homed in Brooklyn, New York, Voters
For Animal Rights (VFAR) sheds light on the cruel and inhumane treatment of
animals in New York and lobbies for stronger protections. On December 20,
2020, VFAR published a heartbreaking incident that occurred in Central Park,
noting that this is hardly an isolated event. While pulling a carriage of
people on a cold, snowy day, a horse by the name of Billy slipped and fell
on the ice in Central Park. Rather than caring for the horse and bringing it
to rest and recover, the driver allegedly forced the horse to continue
pulling the passengers. As such, the VFAR organization is pushing citizens
to sign a petition to #BanHorseCarriages and demanding recourse (See Photo
Below. See also, https://vfar.org/carriagehorses/ ).
Historically, horse drawn carriages were the primary form of transportation,
for both practical and commercial needs. As time progressed, they became a
symbol of style and elegance. Nearing the end of the 1800s, motorized
transportation was invented and has since taken over as the leading vessel
for all travel needs. Today, horse drawn carriages are used as a form of
pleasure, attracting tourists near and far. Parading through Central Park,
customers can enjoy a carriage ride and a New York City view, at the expense
of a horse or two.
Until 2018, NYC’s horse drawn carriages were citywide, trotting the busy
city roads among cars and busses. However, in response to the years-long
controversy surrounding such carriage rides, they were re-located to Central
Park – in an effort to reduce potential harm to the animal. While this was a
small victory for animal rights activists, horse and carriage operators were
not pleased. In response to the City’s plan to restrict carriage pickup
locations to within Central Park, one particular horse and carriage business
owner, Giovanni Paliotta, brought suit against Mayor Bill De Blasio and the
City of New York. The early-2019 opinion weighed the harms presented,
permitting the Mayor and the city to move forward with confining carriage
rides to Central Park. (See Paliotta v. De Blasio, 2019 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS
547).
Unfortunately, such harm still exists in permitting horse drawn carriages,
regardless of the location in which they service. The inhumane and cruel
treatment horses face to provide trivial human enjoyment is disturbing and
sad. PETA outlines some of the harms that occur by forcing horses to pull
oversized carriages in all weather extremes. While the exhaust fumes horses
breathe in may cause respiratory ailments, some suffer debilitating leg
problems attributed to long hours on hard surfaces. Because of their
sensitive and skittish nature, horses have been known to get spooked –
injuring themselves and people alike. Moreover, horses have been hit and
seriously injured by reckless drivers while laboring the streets for the
public’s amusement.
On February 29, 2020, a horse was euthanized after collapsing in Central
Park. Prior, on February 4, 2020, a driver lost control of a carriage horse
after it stepped on an electrical plate, receiving excruciating shocks. A
pedestrian watched as the horse ran several blocks, before crashing into a
pole and collapsing. (See
https://secure.mediapeta.com/peta/PDF/HDC_Incidents_Factsheet_JO.pdf ) These
incidents happen regularly and habitually, such that each should come as no
surprise to legislature. State administrators are aware and yet turn a blind
eye to these horrific events. Horse drawn carriage rides have actually been
banned in cities such as Las Vegas, London, Toronto, Paris, and Beijing, to
name a few. New York City neglects to follow suit, despite the ruthless
living and working conditions employed right on their very streets.
The Animal Welfare Act was introduced in 1966 in order to regulate the
treatment of animals throughout research and exhibition. However, horses
operating carriages are not protected by the Act, leaving local
animal-control officials responsible for ensuring their safety. This task
falls low on the list of priorities for animal-control officials, allowing
major concerns like traffic accidents, heat stroke, dehydration,
underfeeding, and copious other threats fly under the radar. The temporary
pleasure society reaps from a 20-minute carriage ride hardly amounts to the
immense pain and torture these voiceless horses face on a day-to-day basis.
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