Long time, no see!

It's been more than a year since I posted here on The Whiffle Tree -- many apologies to my readers.

As my grandmother would say, I have "a lot of irons in the fire" these days.

But The Whiffle Tree is officially resurrected, as of today.

I'd like to start off with an offering from a new venue I have been fortunate enough to participate in; I am now the NY Urban Horse Examiner for Examiner.com!

Please take a few minutes to read my very first article, published today.

Would love to hear your feedback!

http://www.examiner.com/urban-horses-in-new-york/a-complete-guide-to-your-nyc-carriage-ride

Here It Is: The New Law for the NYC Horse & Carriage Industry

As promised in my last post, here is the link to our new legislation for anyone who is interested:

http://legistar.council.nyc.gov/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=649931&GUID=A94F649F-F5BA-4F19-AE0A-69866F5E697C&Options=ID|Text|&Search=carriage+horse

I'd be delighted to answer any questions!

Congratulations to the NYC Horse and Carriage Industry!

This past week the NYC Council passed our bill, Intro 35A with a vote of 46-4 with Mayor Bloomberg expected to sign it into law in the coming days!

2+ years of hard work on the part of many of our members has paid tremendous dividends for both us and our horses, as this bill codifies our high standards, and gives us our first rate increase in 21 years!

We will now be able to go ahead with our pro-active agenda, both for the horses and the industry as a whole. The rate increase plus the fact that the time-consuming work of getting the bill passed is over, will now allow us to tend to our business, and also loosens our purse strings with regards to improvements.

Make no mistake; all provisions in this bill were carefully handcrafted jointly by the industry, the NYC Rental Horse Advisory Board, and Councilmembers. The media is reporting this story as if the horse care provisions were "forced" on the industry -nothing could be further from the truth. *WE* were the ones who wanted to standardize the quality of care our horses receive - there is nothing in this bill that we either didn't suggest or agree with.

A very special THANK YOU to Teamsters Local 553 - we could not have done this without your dedication and help!

Another big THANK YOU to Council Speaker Christine Quinn, for standing up for what is right in the face of ridicule, abuse, and harassment by the "animal rights" contingent.

A hearty THANK YOU to all the Councilmembers who voted for us.

A horsey THANK YOU to our brethren carriage operators across the country for your loyalty and moral support!

Most of all, a resounding THANK YOU to the most important people - OUR CUSTOMERS. You are the reason for our existence, your patronage is highly appreciated, and allows us to continue being ambassadors for NYC.

I'll post more on the bill later, including a link to the actual legislation.

For now, I just want to say (with apologies to Robert Duvall):

"I love the smell of horse manure in the morning....it smells like -
Victory."

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 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~>>>>>>>

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::

Of Ambassadors and Angels

Each and every day the NYC carriage horses and their drivers welcome people to NYC.

Now, a goodly portion of our patrons are locals; folks from the 5 boroughs of NYC and the surrounding tri-state area ride regularly, especially at Christmas time, on Mother's day, etc.
Hey - locals know a good thing!

But the majority of the people who climb in a carriage are visitors, and hail from every corner of the world. I myself have had people in my carriage from every continent on the planet; from a Maori tribesman of New Zealand to a group of high schoolers from Norway, from a great grandmother and her family from Greenland seeing NYC for the first time to a newlywed couple from South Africa, the people of the world make a Central Park carriage ride part of their NYC experience.

Our profile is iconic and historic - we are ambassadors for NYC, in the truest sense of the word!

There is a much lesser-known side to the carriage business, though. People in our industry work with the Make-A-Wish foundation and Ronald McDonald House among other charities to bring smiles and make dreams come true for sick and disabled children.

I find it difficult to convey in words the feeling of witnessing one of these events. A child whose days are filled with physical and medical challenges that would tear apart the strongest adult is able to find a moment's respite to enjoy a carriage ride, or to pet a velvety nose and squeal with delight as one of our gentle giants lips a carrot from the child's hand. At Ronald McDonald events held in one of our stables, I have seen these children light up for hours in the warm, equine atmosphere, petting and interacting with our horses, listening intently to a veterinarian explaining about their care, making little handcrafts as a memento of their day. A parent of one of these children told me "You don't understand....these children's days are an endless series of doctor's appointments, treatments, and therapies, many rarely get to leave the hospital. To come to a place like this and enjoy the afternoon is such a blessing, you guys are angels."

For the carriage owners involved, I know that it is an honor and a privilege to be able to provide for these children this small interlude of relief from their courageous medical journeys.

For the horses, it's just another day on the job, doing what they do best - delighting people.

I would like to thank those involved for making this world a better place.

We are proud to be NYC ambassadors - but we are humbled to be called a child's "angel".

Back Up on Me Horse 'n Carriage in NYC!

Back in the saddle, so to speak ;-)
A thousand apologies for the long hiatus....things have been a mite busy personally of late.
It's been a very nice summer - a bit hot, but that just means more time off for us, as the horses -by law - may not work in temps above 89 degrees.
It's a very good, reasonable law, I think. The rest of our industry agrees.
NYC has the lowest stop-work temp law for carriage horses in the country, by the way.
Problem is, the law has been handed to the ASPCA to enforce, and they send us in at their whim.
We've been sent in at 88, 87, 86, and even 85 degrees.
We've been sent in on days that have never reached 90 at all.
But this is all to be expected, as the ASPCA has a classic and stunning conflict of interests.
Just imagine - a privately funded charity, given police powers by State law, overseeing an industry it has pledged to put out of business.
Naw, you say, can't be! Not in America!
But yes, sad to say, 'tis true.
The Humane Enforcement division of the ASPCA - whose officers have summons books, handcuffs, billy clubs, and guns - is responsible for the oversight and enforcement of laws with regard to the NYC carriage industry, a business that they state they want to see banned. Here is their position statement from their own website:
http://www.aspca.org/site/PageServer?pagename=press_120807
And so it goes - they try to inflict as much damage on us as possible, including cutting our days short with bogus temp readings.
Meanwhile, the bills keep pouring in, and we carry on.
You would think that people allegedly concerned with animal welfare would like to see the people responsible for those animals be able to earn enough money to make sure they continue to get complete, top shelf basic care, plus all the niceties, wouldn't you?
Interesting....