Thursday, January 26, 2006

 

Horse Welfare, continued

Photo by L. Karim www.palemale.com


Toxic pollution

3.
It can be assumed that the demand for horse-drawn rides would usually peak during the summer months when the tourist trade is at its busiest. This is also the time of year when roads are most congested.
4.
Air pollution, at any time of the year, has an adverse effect on horses' respiratory systems. The effect of sunlight on pollution generated by vehicle exhausts can create toxic and irritant low-level ozone smog. This is particularly bad because in the hot summer weather, just when the surrounding air is at its most irritant, the hard-worked horses will be breathing most heavily to cool their bodies down. As a result, they will be drawing in huge lungfulls of toxins.
5.
The leading medical journal, The Lancet, has noted that animals exposed to ozone pollution have suffered emphysema, cancer and accelerated ageing, stating that 'in animals exposed to ozone the mortality from lung infections is increased'.
6.
U.S. Veterinarian Jeffie Roszel has studied the breathing problems experienced by horses used to draw vehicles in traffic. He found that the 'tracheal washes and samples from respiratory secretions of these horses showed enormous lung damage, the same kind of damage you would expect from a heavy smoker'. Horses' nostrils are usually only 3 to 3.5 feet above street level, so these animals are 'truly... living a nose-to-tailpipe existence'.
from Animal Aid http://www.animalaid.org.uk/campaign/sport/omnibus.htm

 

The Horse Carriage Trade, NYC by Bethany McCarty

Great art.......... http://www.graphicwitness.org/contemp/bethany1.htm

Wednesday, January 25, 2006

 

Horse Welfare



Visible injuries
1.
Even for healthy horses, drawing a vehicle carrying anything from two to nine people through city streets is not an easy task. As Holly Cheever D.V.M., a respected equine vet who has treated carriage horses in New York, points out, 'Lameness and hoof deterioration are inevitable when a horse spends its life walking or jogging on the unnaturally concussive asphalt of city streets'. She notes that draft horses are especially difficult to keep well-shod.
2.
But these are merely the visible consequences of requiring horses to pound the concrete and cobbled streets of towns and cities. There are far more serious outcomes that go beyond horses being unable to work - and, in fact, can result in their death.

from Animal Aid http://www.animalaid.org.uk/campaign/sport/omnibus.htm

Tuesday, January 24, 2006

 

Carriage horses retire to life of leisure

Andrea Mohin/The New York Times. Shannon Byrne, 11, gave a farewell hug to Maureen, an 18-year-old mare who is retiring to a nonprofit animal sanctuary in Middletown, N.Y., after seven years of pulling carriages through the streets of New York City.


In honor of January 24th.......the most depressing day of the year according to those who have nothing else to do but designate days senselessly........here is a great story to boost your spirits.


August 23, 2001

Carriage horses retire to life of leisure By Sara Whalen and Stephen Aronoff Goshen has a distinctive and colorful history as the home of the original trotting horse mecca. As far back as 1801, a horse named Imported Messenger brought fame to this town with his unique gait. Later, one of his descendants, Hambletonian, had such an influence on trotters that all Standardbred horses trace their lineage to him. Today, less than 10 miles from Goshen, Timmy, a former racehorse, strolls around his paddock at Middletown's Pets Alive animal sanctuary, grazing calmly and occasionally nuzzling his equine companion, Mabel. Timmy's story goes back all the way to Hambletonian, but includes a few detours that may remind you more of the tale of Black Beauty. Even with the best backgrounds, few racehorses are still considered valuable after their first losses. Timmy, a "loser," soon found himself at a slaughter auction. Not many people think about the options for horses who can't prove their "usefulness," but the results are usually sad. Thousands of horses every year are slaughtered for the meat markets, and thousands more end up on Premarin farms or in research labs, or toiling to their deaths. Luckier horses might find a loving companion in the equestrian sport world, or with a kindly carriage driver. Yet, as they grow older and weaker, these horses often face the fate of the auctions. Timmy grew up proud and daring but simply wasn't competitive enough for the racetrack. Soon he was being weighed and shown at an auction in Pennsylvania. Luckily, he struck the fancy of the Byrnes brothers, who run one of the most humane carriage-horse facilities in New York City. For many years, Timmy, always the devoted gentleman and steady worker, enjoyed excellent care and attention. But when Timmy got older, the workload became too difficult. Fortunately, the Byrnes brothers refused to send him on to become a plow horse or worse. At the time, Pets Alive was just establishing its carriage-horse project at Pets Alive, and Timmy found his permanent home there as one of our first retirees. Many people in the mid-Hudson are sincerely concerned about the welfare of horses. There have always been horses at the Pets Alive sanctuary, and in 1998 we purchased additional property to expand our equine facilities. We at Pets Alive wanted to do something that could focus more attention on the problems that horses face, and we wanted to provide a safe and loving retirement for them. Pets Alive can't save every horse, but by focusing on one group and showing that it's possible to set up, staff and fund a long term care program, it proves that options other than slaughter are viable. Pets Alive is now negotiating for an adjacent 55 acres, in order to build more paddocks for the carriage horses on our waiting list. We are hoping that the Carriage Horse Retirement Home will join the Goshen Historic Track and Harness Racing Museum as popular equine places to visit in Orange County. We are also hoping that horse lovers in the area will join our team of dedicated volunteers who can give TLC to our equine ambassadors. As for Timmy, these days you can find him leaning over his fence at the Carriage Horse Retirement Home, whinnying for an extra pat along his neck. His coat is sleek, his stomach full, and he ambles off to continue grazing – that's his full-time job now and forever at Pets Alive. To help ... Plans are in the works for a benefit to raise money to build more paddocks. To help, or for more information, contact: Sara Whalen, executive director, Pets Alive, 363 Derby Road, Middletown 10940; or call 845-386-9738; or visit http://www.petsalive.com/. Sara Whalen, the founder and executive director of Pets Alive, has been rescuing animals for 30 years. Stephen Aronoff, a member of the board of directors, is an accomplished equestrian.

Monday, January 23, 2006

 

More on on 1/2/06 horse-drawn carriage wreck

The horse's name was "Spotty"
Spotty had to be euthanized because of his broken shoulder, etc.




It seems the horse may have skidded on the wet road, and the accident threw the driver from the cab; the station wagon's two passengers were also injured.
The AP described the scene:
[T]the horse was wrapped around the station wagon, its rear legs on top of it and its head on the ground. The windshield of the car was smashed, and the four-wheel carriage was mangled.
The horse, which remarkably appeared to escape injury, later stood at the scene before being driven away while bucking and kicking in a police wagon.

Saturday, January 21, 2006

 

Mayor Bloomberg needs a reality check


"Hansom cabs have been a part of this city, it's a tourist attraction,people love 'em, and most of the horses are well-fed and well-taken care of… they work for a living just like you and me."-- Mayor Bloomberg, as quoted in the Daily News on January 18th 2006.

Friday, January 20, 2006

 

Crash-Hansom Owner Starved Horse


CRASH-HANSOM OWNER STARVED HORSE
By HEIDI SINGER 1/5/06 New York Post

The owner of the hansom cab involved in a life-threatening crash after its horse bolted has a history of abusing his animals, authorities said.
Lorenzo Riccobono, 52, is well known to animal-rights groups in Pennsylvania, where he rented horses to Amish farmers until selling his barn a few months ago.
In January 2004, a judge in Gap, Pa., found him guilty of animal cruelty and fined him $867 after a starving horse had to be put down.
The horse "was a skeleton," recalled JoAnn Mau- ger, of the Large Animal Protection Society. "He was lying there with the noose still around his neck."
During that investigation, Mauger said she discovered two other starving horses, which Riccobono gave over to authorities as part of the plea deal.
Reached at his Queens home, Riccobono said didn't know what caused the horse to bolt and declined to comment on the Pennsylvania incidents.
"This has got nothing to do with the case," he said. "This horse was in good shape."
Mauger said Riccobono has admitted he buys horses from "kill lots" in New Holland, Pa. — pens where people who give up their horses to be killed can be bought cheaply for meat or other purposes.
But Riccobono insisted he bought "Spotty," the 5-year-old carriage horse, from a Pennsylvania farm, not a kill lot.
On Monday, a Central Park horse and a carriage licensed by Riccobono veered out of control after the horse galloped out of control for several blocks, skidding on the wet road and smashing into a station wagon at 50th Street and Ninth Avenue.
Carriage driver Carmelo Vargas, 36, was thrown 10 feet and critically injured, and the car's two passengers were also hurt. Vargas was upgraded to stable condition yesterday.
Riccobono's brother owned the horse involved in the mishap. It had to be destroyed.

 

When will NYC get it?


Many horses that end up pulling carriages through city streets are breakdowns from the harness racing tracks. Standardbreds are often trained to race by being tethered to the back of a truck that drives increasingly faster. But standardbreds are much smaller and lighter than traditional draft horses and are not accustomed to pulling heavy loads.
Most cities have only minimal regulations governing working conditions for carriage horses, and these regulations are rarely enforced. Carriage horse operators know all the loopholes in their city's laws.
Horses and heavy traffic can be a deadly mix. Despite carriage horse operators' claims, most horses are not comfortable working among cars and trucks. Many accidents, injuries and even deaths have been caused by horses becoming spooked in traffic. A survey of national carriage horse accidents revealed that 85 percent of all accidents were the result of an animal spooking.
Conditions for carriage horses usually aren't very good off the streets. Stables have been found to have exposed stalls with no hay or other bedding, stall floors covered with urine and manure, poor ventilation in the stables, and horses that had no free access to water. Has City Council asked where and how these horses would be kept? Who would make sure the stable conditions are satisfactory, the already overworked humane society?
People around the country are increasingly recognizing that it's the carriage horse industry - not just the horses - who are taking them for a ride. Pressure from concerned residents has resulted in bans on carriage horses in a growing number of cities, including Palm Beach, Fla.; Santa Fe, N.M.; and Las Vegas.

Wednesday, January 18, 2006

 

Horse Drawn Carriages and Manhattan are not a good mix

Scene of the wreck on 1/2/06.
The ASPCA wants to see hansom cabs banned from city streets."Our suggestion is they belong in Central Park," Ed Sayers of the ASPCA said. "Certainly you can have a very nice horse and carriage program in Central Park and keep those horses out of traffic."
I must disagree with Mr. Sayers. Manhattan is not rural America. There should be a substitute for horse-drawn carriages. The entire service is inhumane. The horses are worked long hours in extreme temperature. They are not exercised. There is no paddock in Central Park. Limiting the horses to Central Park is not like allowing them to run in the open fields freely. Central Park consists of asphalt roads - mini highways. I cannot imagine the pain these horses endure pounding the pavement day after day, night after night.

 

A horse's wish




VS.
"My master often drove me in double harness with my mother, because she was steady and could teach me how to go better than a strange horse. She told me the better I behaved the better I should be treated, and that it was wisest always to do my best to please my master; "but," said she, "there are a great many kinds of men; there are good thoughtful men like our master, that any horse may be proud to serve; and there are bad, cruel men, who never ought to have a horse or dog to call their own. Besides, there are a great many foolish men, vain, ignorant, and careless, who never trouble themselves to think; these spoil more horses than all, just for want of sense; they don't mean it, but they do it for all that.

I hope you will fall into good hands; but a horse never knows who may buy him, or who may drive him; it is all a chance for us; but still I say, do your best wherever it is, and keep up your good name."
-Black Beauty (Anna Sewell)

Tuesday, January 17, 2006

 

Horse Drawn Carriages Operate in the Rain

It is going to pour tonight in New York. As you can see it doesn't matter to the drivers or the riders or humanity looking on that these horses are subjected to extreme weather conditions.

photo by Lincoln Karim www.palemale.com

 

Horse Drawn Carriage Fact Sheet from PETA

http://www.peta.org/pdfs/HorseDrawnCarriageFactsheet.pdf

 

The wagon rests in winter, the sleigh in summer, the horse never. ~Yiddish Proverb

photo by Lincoln Karim www.palemale.com

Monday, January 16, 2006

 

Just another night in traffic...........

The weather is so cold tonight in New York- in the teens easily and I think of the horses working.
Picture courtesy of Lincoln Karim www.palemale.com

 

Why I am involved in this issue.........

how could I not be........I like so many others accepted NYC horse-drawn carriages as a fixture of Manhattan's tourist scene. I never rode in one and would only see them from afar until last year. My awareness was heightened by a dear soul who is the careful and concerned watcher of that famous Fifth Avenue resident red-tailed hawk "Pale Male." This watcher's name is Lincoln Karim and he is a superb photographer. He peppers his website www.palemale.com with photographs of nature, i.e. other birds, an occasional cute squirrel and a stoic owl. Lincoln is very passionate about the carriage horses, as he is a daily first hand witness of the life these beautiful horses lead, as he positions himself in Central Park nearly every day to photograph Pale Male, et al. Naturally, Lincoln occasionally publishes some harsh and realistic photos of the carriage horses.....it was an eye opener for me. Everything culminated for me when I sat in traffic one night on my way to Lincoln Center. I was sitting in a cab near Central Park and a horse-drawn carriage was along side me. It was a cold artic night in January. The horse was about two feet away. The horse's head was hanging low in line with the tail pipe of a running car directly in front of the animal. The horse's coat was dull and ladened with worn patches from its dressing. My heart just broke and I began to weep. Weep because such alleged abuse, in my opinion, was occurring before my very eyes... before the world and no one at that moment cared enough for that wonderful animal. I knew then that I was going to get involved somehow in the banning of horse drawn carriages in NYC. This atrocitiy only exists because of the power of the tourists' dollars. There must be another way...a substitute for the horse drawn carriage in Manhattan.....a substitute that will attract tourists and not involve the use of a living, feeling animal............

 

PETA's response to the NYC horse-drawn carriage accident

http://www.peta.org/alert/Automation/AlertItem.asp?id=1708

 

Mahatma Gandhi once said.........

"The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated."

 

Profile of a horse-drawn carriage driver

http://www.gothamist.com/archives/2005/03/09/joe_horsedrawn_carriage_driver.php

 

Wild Horse Collides With Car In Midtown - NYC 1/2/06


http://wcbstv.com/local/local_story_003053639.html

 

Another Horse's "Tale"

http://www.villagevoice.com/news/9903,trebay,3581,4.html

 

Martha Stewart's daughter says ban New York horse-drawn carriages

http://www.canada.com/topics/entertainment/story.html?id=7956a279-be05-4577-8cbc-72da88222ac9&k=79400

 

An Informative website detailing the dangers of horse-drawn carriages generally

http://www.animalaid.org.uk/campaign/sport/omnibus.htm

 

Important Meeting In NYC

An Important meeting concerning the NYC Carriage Horses:Community Board For Transportation Planning CommitteeWednesday, January 18, 2006 at 6:15 PM330 W. 42nd St. 26th Fl. (between 8th and 9th Ave.)

 

Petition To Ban Carriage Horses in NYC

http://new.petitiononline.com/ch4ny123/petition.html

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