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!
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14 comments:
We knew that Liam Neeson is a fine actor. GREAT to know that he's a sensible man, as well.
Thank heaven not everyone is a blithering idiot who thinks the horses have it so bad. They are beautiful, intelligent creatures and should be treated with respect; I have never seen anything less when visiting NYC. The carriage drivers are always protective and concerned about their "partners". There are so many much larger concerns out there, like the thousands of horses that ARE being mistreated! God Bless you!
Wow! I know you moderate so it's okay if you want to delete this after reading:
My first thought after reading that morons "my friends saw blah blah etc" was "Chestnuts" just as you responded. We don't work horses with sores. Why? Why would you do that to an employee who, quite frankley, is more valuable than the human ones? We have like 30 drivers and 16 horses. And we have two who are older that the owners are looking to retire who were so babied during the Christmas season it was funny...and how do I know? Because I was the employee who came in early every day to mix their beet pulp/grain/molassas/lixitinic mash for them each day-even when they were NOT working.
I know, I know, preachin to the choir, sister. Thanks for defending us, but I prefer to not get into a pissing contest with the Petards. We, in the business, know whats right and whats wrong, and if my employeers were doing something wrong I would be the first person out there with a sign. Hell, we run off drivers we don't feel right about ( all of our horses are owned by the carriage company owners.)And you know you can ever win an arguement with an ignorant fanatic. Thats why they strap bombs to their asses & blow themselves up- to prove that they were right.
Keep up the good work and know that we are pulling for you out west. What happens in NY eventually ripples out to us. Your guy's business is often a lunchtime topic of conversation.
You can reach me direct at blacksheepfarm@hotmail.com
This city was built by horses, as well as a park for riding in the afternoon. Where does this madness stop? Texas? Montana? CA? Stay away from me you crazies. You have no idea what it is like to have a parner like my horse. He loves his work, and tells me so all the time! Take away their jobs and some become depressed. NO, some actually decline in pasture without the excitement, this is shown by race horses all the time! Get a grip NY! ps I'm Irish. Kiss me.
Molly-
I know you don't mean to be, but your attitude is condescending, imperious, and preumptuous. You seem earnest, but your gears are stuck.
Understand this - I'm not here to change your mind. I'm here to tell you that you are wrong about my life, my business, my horses, and my fellow carriage people. Whether or not you change your mind is up to you. I don't have to 'prove' anything to you, that's not why God put me here on this earth. Reality speaks for itself.
As for "letting horses roam free in a pasture where they belong", it's a juvenile, silly, and utterly unrealistic statement spoken by someone who obviously has no knowledge of horses.
At this very moment there is a crisis of enormous proportion of unwanted and abandoned horses in this country, due to what is being called a "perfect storm" of a slow economy, people losing their homes and jobs, sky-rocketing feed prices, and the recent national outlawing of equine slaughterhouses in the US. This is a mammoth crisis - thousands of horses being left to waste away in fields and paddocks across the country, horse rescues in every state turning people away because they are full to capacity. Don't take my word for it:
http://www.time.com/time/nation/ ...1809950,00.html
http://www.wildhorserescue.org/u...rg/ unwanted.htm
http://www.bespacific.com/mt/arc...ves/ 018483.html
http://www.google.com/search?hl=...+crisis& spell=1
http://www.independent.ie/farmin...es- 1592994.html
http://worldhorseforum.com/showt...hread.php? t=582
http://horses.meetup.com/261/boa...thread/5864423/
And even if there weren't a crisis, horses do not thrive wandering around in pastures. They need a JOB. They need a job both for physical and mental stimulation. Like another blogger wrote (someone not in our business):
"I was RAISED around horses. I have been working with them since I was THREE YEARS OLD.
Horses in a pasture all day get BORED. They get fat, they get vices, they end up doing stupid things to entertain themselves and then they get hurt."
Of course, turnout downtime is great periodically, and our horses get that several times a year in PA and upstate NY. But they get it because they WORK, because they have a place in our world, because they work with us to make money to allow us to provide them with that amenity. Horses are not lap dogs.
Do you have any 'pasture' you can offer to a horse? If you do, the best way to help would be to go to the auction, buy a slaughter bound horse, and care for it for the rest of it's natural life.
This "running free" stuff is Disney-fied thinking. Horses are not magical unicorns, and this isn't a Hollywood movie.
And yes, I can state with 100% accuracy that there are NO horses in our business who are on the receiving end of cruelty or neglect. Period. Believe what you will.
There is more cruelty represented in an egg-salad sandwich than in the last 50 years of the lives NYC carriage horses. Know anything about the egg business?
And as a new mother, I hope you are breastfeeding; if you aren't, you are using formula that either has animal products in it that come from factory farms (more cruelty), or soy-based, which represents one of the most heavily-treated crops anywhere in the world, contributing to the demise of animal's habitats from run off pollution, etc. Not to mention the millions of animals - mice, rabbits, deer, voles, moles, etc - that are eradicated constantly by crop farmers in order to keep their crops from being eaten.
You see? It's very easy to get on a soap box, and get all outraged over something someone ELSE is doing.
It's much harder to look at oneself.
Best of luck with the city council meeting today.
How come nobody has a problem with the hot dog vendor standing outside in all weather for 15 hours a day. How come they don't stop him. These people are people haters.
Ok, how can I help?
I have no money, I live in Canada, I've got nothing but typing fingers. This is obviously a PeTA campaign. A very scary drop-kick to freedom of ownership.
Scares the heck out of me.
Who do I write to?
See, I'm not Liam, or Alec. I am nobody. But this scares me, a lot.
I'm glad you found the Fugly blog, too.
I just hope saner minds can somehow prevail, in these troubling (already) times.
Hey there, Golightly (can I call you Holly? LOL)
First I just wanna give you a big ole THANK YOU for caring enough to take the time to post, and to want actually want to help us. We don't get that too often! LOL
Second, gotta say that your summation of the situation is spot-on; PETA has bankrolled and facilitated lots of misery for us, especially in the last year. You obviously know their ultimate agenda - the end of all animal/human interaction. And I admit, it scares me, too.
The little local groups just pile on, and take up whatever slack PETA leaves. Anyway you slice it, we are in someone's crosshairs every single moment.
Now, as to your very generous offer to help - here are some email addresses, as many emails as we can get on our side is terrific!
This is the mayor's direct email:
http://www.nyc.gov/portal/site/nycgov/menuitem.bd08ee7c7c1ffec87c4b36d501c789a0/index.jsp?doc_name=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nyc.gov%2Fhtml%2Fmail%2Fhtml%2Fmayor.html
This is our City Council Speaker's email:
http://council.nyc.gov/d3/html/members/home.shtml
This is our main supporter on the Council:
weprin@council.nyc.ny.us
Right now, there are two issues - there is one bill in front of the city council (658) that would BAN horse and carriages from the city forever.
The other bill (653-A) gives us a rate increase (the first in TWENTY YEARS!), and also includes industry upgrades, amenities for the horses, safety improvements etc, that we are voluntarily trying to codify in City law.
So that's the scoop - thank you in advance for writing, tell all your friends!! LOL
Thanx again, best, Michaleen
I wish you all the best with this. The first time I went to NYC (I live in Ohio) I was warned about "the abused carriage horses" so I made it a point to go to Central Park for the pure purpose of seeing them for myself. What did I see? A bunch of happy-looking, healthy horses. I saw horses in good flesh, with nice looking feet, and nice thick pads under the harness. I didn't detect any horses even slightly lame. I've been around horses for a long time, and I would have noticed. It was nice to sit in the middle of the busiest city in the country, close my eyes, and hear the clip-clop of horses going by. I had the opportunity to talk to a couple drivers and found that they love horses and enjoy their jobs.
I moved to NYC after that, and was going to get my license but just barely missed the most recent opportunity. I wish I had done it, I think I would have enjoyed it, even if I did have to deal with morons on a regular basis!
I've been to NYC three times and always pay extra attention to the horses, and I've yet to see a lame one, one with harness sores, or one that looks too thin. You guys do an awesome job with them!
Amber-
Dang, you people from the Fugly Horse blog are a welcome breath of fresh air!! Wish I had found you all sooner LOL
Thanx so much for the nice feedback, support, and kind words. It is VERY much appreciated, especially coming from a real horse person!
Too bad you didn't get your license - we're still here, anytime you want to come back!
Nope, call me Golly. I am so unlike Audrey Hepburn, it's ridiculous. My "handle" comes from a horse that I will never forget.
Ever.
Thanks for the info, when my fingers are warmed up, I'll start firing off some carefully worded missives.
Keep up the fight for saner minds.
I have never seen any carriage horses but you would have to be insane not to take care of them since they are your business.
As for PETA I think they are a bunch of crap. Half of the time they have no idea what they are talking about and I don't think one of them has ever lived on a ranch or dealt with the food industry in any way to know that some of what is done is for the safety of the animals and handlers.
I just wish that they would do some extensive research on what ever they have a problem with instead of just jumping on the band wagon with everyone else that doesn't know crap about whatever it is that they have a problem with. And by research I don't mean going to some some other sympathizers website or such and looking at their Propaganda and deciding "Holy Crap that must be evil". I think scholarly articles and journals are the best way to learn about something that you have no clue about or only a particle clue.
I have said my piece and I will most certainly ride a carriage when ever I get to a big city. Being that I'm from Montana, and have been around my fare share of domesticated livestock, that might be a while. Keep up the good fight.
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