Cruelty: City Carriage Horses vs Their Country Cousins

As I have described before on this blog, currently in the U.S. there is what amounts to an equine emergency - a "perfect storm" formed by the economic recession and soaring feed prices. People losing their jobs, homes, and land, or just having taken such a hit financially that they can no longer keep or care for their horses.
A simple Google search will reveal hundreds of news articles about surrendered, abandoned, or neglected horses. The reports often include interviews with horse rescues and animal shelters across the country, all stating the same thing: that they are full to capacity and overwhelmed by this phenomenon.

Pictured here is a starved purebred Arabian horse, one of the dozens seized by the local SPCA from a ranch in Texas. This is the link to the story~~> Deal done over 77 Arabian horses Horsetalk - International horse news

You see, out in the "country", the only place that many do-gooders and animal rights fanatics think horses should be allowed to live, it's fairly easy to starve or abuse or neglect a horse. Horses are on private property; no municipality has the resources to check on every single one. Kept from the public eye, this horror show plays out all the time in the lovely "country". This has never - and COULD never - happen to a NYC carriage horse.

Here's why:
---EACH AND EVERY NYC carriage horse is checked multiple times a month by either the DOH or the ASPCA. These agencies have full access to every animal whenever they want it;

---Our horses must be vetted and given a clean bill of health every year;

---Our horses are in the PUBLIC EYE everyday!

Our carriage horses' poor country cousins have something else working against them - they have no JOBS. The hundreds of thousands of horses whose owners can no longer afford them - these horses were kept as pets or for pleasure. A horse with a JOB is helping to earn it's own keep; a horse with a viable job will be the LAST horse to feel the recession.

As you can see, anyone who wants to take jobs away from horses is NO FRIEND TO THE HORSE.

IMPORTANT NOTE TO THE MISGUIDED DO-GOODER OR HARDENED HUMANIAC:
Consider trading in your constant efforts to shut down the NYC carriage industry with some hands-on help at a horse rescue, or better yet - put your money where your mouth is and adopt one of these homeless, unwanted creatures. This way you'll actually be DOING something for a horse, other than hurting it.

A Little Carriage Horse Poetry ;-)

Came upon another hand-wringing humaniac today - only this one expressed herself in, um, poetry.

You can read said author's offerings here ~~~> Horses in traffic (poem) by JASMIN HORST E. P. SEILER on AuthorsDen

Of course this puerile, ghoulish poem elicited more than a few chuckles from those of us 'in the know' - including my good pal Lisa from South Carolina, a life-long equestrian and horse owner.

Lisa offered up her own take on Jasmin the Poet's grim, turgid lines - easily countering her obviously-unacquainted-with-horses hysterics:

NYC Horse

Shiny Shoes and bales of hay
some oats and grain just for a neigh

A happy life of work I do
I pull a carriage and meet a few

My body is strong, my mind is set
I'll pull this carriage to the park - you bet!

Those silly activists cry foul and shame
but stupid dumb *****, they are so lame

They think I am human, those nerdy turds
I'm not of course,
I'm just a horse
with a job to do, for him and for you
I pull this carriage, that's my life,
A place, some care, with little strife

Thank you, Leese!

Carriage Horse Chuckle from Charleston

Re: my previous post concerning Charleston's carriage trade...seems someone down there understands PETA's, um, position perfectly. Look closely ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~>>>>>>>

On Our Brethren Carriage Horses Down in Charleston

I happily stumbled upon a delightful article this morning, written by a Dr. Edward M. Gilbreth of Charleston, South Carolina.

In the piece published by The Post and Courier, Dr. Gilbreth lays out a cogent, comprehensive, and fact-filled argument in favor of protecting Charleston's carriage industry from the humaniacs at PETA. Dr. Gilbreth's flair for writing is a bonus; the article is both entertaining and colorful, giving us glimpses of the history and character of Charleston itself.

Because I am unsure of the copyright situation, I will not reprint the article here on my blog, but you can read it here.

But I will take the liberty of posting, what is to my mind, the most delicious line:

"It's the skewed ideology negatively impacting humanity while providing no net benefit to animals that I protest."

This is the crux of all that is wrong with the humaniac 'movement'; it needs to be understood and repeated often.

I'd like to thank Dr. Gilbreth for making my day.

Long live the Charleston carriage industry!

Author Michael Gross Loves Him Some Carriage Horses!

Author Michael Gross wrote an insightful and supportive piece on us that he posted on his blog yesterday, it is a must-read (link below in letter)

I just had to thank Mr. Gross. This is the email I sent:

Dear Mr. Gross,
You gave a whole lotta deserving people a little encouragement - and a respite from a grueling battle - with your piece Michael Gross : Clap Your Hands Say Neigh .
I've been in the NYC carriage business for 27 years, since I was 19 years old. I think it's pretty safe to say that we are among the most misunderstood and unfairly maligned groups in this city, and there is always a plan afoot to strangle us, close us down, or replace us. It is rare that a person of your stature takes the time to express support and insight into our situation.
Scratch the surface of our little industry and you might be surprised at the history and complex politics of it all; a cottage industry of animal rights groups, self-serving politicians and "city leaders", propaganda, land grab plots - we have it all.
If you're interested, my blog link is in my signature below, and I would be delighted to expand on anything you find there, or answer any questions you may have.
Again, on behalf of us & the horses, thank you.
****************************************************
What a breath of fresh air Mr. Gross' piece was!
Every kind and supportive word helps, and we are very grateful to Michael Gross.

Michael Gross is one of America’s most provocative non-fiction writers. A contributing editor of Travel + Leisure and editor of Bergdorf Goodman Magazine, he’s written for Vanity Fair, Esquire, GQ, Town & Country, the New York Times and New York, and authored ten books, among them, the best-sellers Model and 740 Park. His next, Rogues’ Gallery: The Secret History of the Moguls and the Money That Made the Metropolitan Museum will be published on May 12, 2009

Victory for NYC Horse Carriages!

So very sorry to have left my faithful readers without an update for so long; it has been over a week since our VICTORIOUS hearing at City Hall!

I have been busy catching up with the rest of my life (which was sorely neglected during the run-up to the hearing), and also preparing for the next phase of the fight - getting our bill actually voted on and passed.

Quick summation of the hearing: We TROUNCED the humaniacs LOL

I actually feel a little silly being so prideful, because it really was no contest - more or less like an elephant squashing a dung beetle ;-)

The carriage industry had authoritative speakers (veterinarians, equestrians, reps from NYC Tourism Board, the Teamsters, the Dept of Health and the Dept of Consumer Affairs), and informed and supportive elected officials (CMs Jim Gennaro, Oliver Koppell, Leroy Comrie.)

Most importantly, the many members from our ranks who also spoke did so with intelligence & clarity, provided provable facts, and easily communicated their dedication and experience to the Council Committee. I was (am!) so proud :-D

We may be one big dysfunctional family lol, but we are a mighty force to be reckoned with when push comes to shove. Every owner or driver had something different to offer - from the history of our business to descriptions of multi-generation carriage families; from the excellent countering of malicious lies with rock-solid facts to the personal stories of hardship that this witch hunt has had on our families. All was spoken with dignity and courage. We were a sight to behold.

I want to thank ALL our well-wishers out there for your support, prayers, and general kindness. Thank YOU!!

To our detractors I would like to say - the next post is for you. ::evil grin::

"Hands Off the Horse Carriages!" - Thank You, Liam Neeson!

The members of the NY Horse & Carriage Association would like to express their deep gratitude to Irish actor Liam Neeson, whose letter to the NYC Council in support of our industry was reported today in the NY Irish community paper, the Irish Echo. The front page (!!) story can be read here:

Irish Echo Online - News

Liam Neeson is a long-time New Yorker and horseman. We are proud and delighted to have him speak out for us as we continue our battle against those who seek to put us -and our horses- out of business.

Cheers!

On NYC Carriage Horses: Words of Wisdom from The Editor of the NY Daily News!

Kudos to the New York Daily News for their Sunday, January 3, 2009 editorial, reprinted in its entirety here:
********************************
The Equine Equation

"Neigh, we say. Neigh! People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals and City Council PETAphiles are trying again to sever the alliance between homo sapiens and equus caballus.

Specifically, they're out to shut New York's carriage-horse business, breaking a bit of the bond that began when humans domesticated horses 6,000 years ago. (We learned that through the Museum of Natural History's recent exhibit on horses.)

Over the centuries, humans created more than 200 breeds, from the muscular Clydesdale to the striking golden palomino and elegant Arabian. For more than 3,000 years, humans have ridden the beasts into battle. For more than 1,000 years, horses have plowed fields, cleared forests, herded cattle - and pulled carriages.

This sacred friendship between two species must go on. The PETApoops must be stopped.

Otherwise, they'll come for the dogs, too.

Just you watch."
*******************************
We are delighted to see such straightforward thinking and comprehensive support!

No doubt the humaniacs were crying into their soy lattes this morning as they read the morning paper as they realized their relentless, baseless, histrionic attacks on us have gotten them exactly nowhere.

Thank you, Daily News!