The latest tragedy should give impetus to bill to ban this cruel practice of using horses to pull carriages through busy city streets
On October 23, 2011 a carriage horse collapsed and died while pulling a carriage through NYC streets. This latest tragedy should give impetus to the NYS legislature to pass the ban to stop this inherently cruel and dangerous practice.
NYC has about 200 carriage horses that typically work for about 4 years. They live a hard and dangerous life pulling outmoded carriages along modern city streets, dodging cars, taxis, buses, bicycles, pedestrians; the air they breathe throughout an average 9 hour work day is filled with exhaust fumes. There is little respite from the extremes of weather. There is little care at all for these animals. When they are not working, they are kept in cramped stalls.
These animals have a short life expectancy. After more than their share of injuries, illness and suffering as carriage horses in NYC, an unknown number end up at slaughter.
For more on the pending legislation and current NYC regulations for carriage horses, read Animal Law Coalition’s report below.
Original report: The fight to ban the horse drawn carriage industry in New York City has moved to the state legislature.
For years opponents of the outmoded industry have tried to convince the city council to ban horse drawn carriages. Instead, last year the city approved an industry supported bill that made minor improvements to the treatment of horses.
Now Assembly Member Linda Rosenthal and state Sen. Tony Avella introduced A.B. 7748/S.B. 5013 which would make it a crime to offer rides to the public on horse drawn carriages.
The bill would also require that carriage horses could only be sold or donated to be kept as companion animals. There would be a requirement to report the identity of the individual or organization to which the horse was sold or donated along with an "assurance" that the animal would not be sold or used again in the horse drawn carriage business and would be kept "solely" as a companion animal.
WHAT YOU CAN DO
The New York legislature is in recess but will reconvene in January. The Assembly version is assigned to the Cities Committee whose members are found here. The Senate version is assigned to the Senate Cities Committee whose members are found here. Go here for more information and to send letters to your New York state assembly member and senator in support of this bill to ban horse drawn carriages.
Photo credit: Coalition to Ban Horse Drawn Carriages