Please E-mail Mayor Bloomberg to save horses...

[Guest guest]

The message below is from the coalition to abolish horse-drawn carriages. In the wake of another crash in NYC, this is the perfect time to let the mayor know that visitors do not approve of the carriage trade. If you are unaware of this issue, the excellent movie Blinders is available through this website: http://www.blindersthemovie.com/):

 

One of the reasons for this Coalition of international cities is to help each other lobby our elected representatives on the carriage and cart horse issues.

 

When a member asks for help in their city, others can send to their own local lists. You are our tourists as we are yours.

 

In the wake of the Saturday carriage horse accident, I am asking you to please write to NYC's Mayor Michael Bloomberg (see link below) -- tell him that you are sickened by the site of these horses when you have visited the city; that this horse-drawn buggy trade has no place in one of the most congested cities in the world. Ask him to use his influence to put an end to it - this is, after all, the 21st century - not the 19th. Tell him that you will not visit NYC again as long as this inhumane, unsafe and antiquated industry continues. You can also mention how Central Park South (where the hack line is) smells really bad - when the wind it right - it can be gagging. The reason for this is (apologies to the

horses) - horse urine has permeated the street and causes the strong smell. The horses themselves smell bad because they are neglected in their stables and the feces and urine odor gets into their coats. If anyone has ever been to a well kept stable where the stalls are mucked out - there is no horse smell.

BTW - There are over 200 horses in this trade in NYC - and many - if not most - are not draft horses. People outside the city are often shocked when they learn this. Many of these horses are breakdowns from the race track and many look almost petite with small bones. The average working life is only 4 years on the streets of NYC. This information has been analyzed going back over the last 15 years. The image attached was taken by me as I was communing with the horse for a good several minutes. The driver was photographing his customers - the horse was an after thought and not included.

 

PLEASE SEND THIS TO YOUR RESPECTIVE LISTS.

 

 

 

On Sept. 19th in New York City, a taxi lost control and crashed into a horse-drawn carriage. The carriage fell over and was crushed. The carriage driver was tossed out of the carriage, landed in the street, and was eventually taken to the hospital with the taxi driver. The horse bolted from the scene and is apparently OK although much shaken up.

This is not the first time that a car and a carriage have collided on the streets of New York City, and unless officials in New York ban horse-drawn carriages for good, it won’t be the last.

Please, take a moment and send a polite message to New York City’s Mayor Bloomberg at

http://www.nyc.gov/portal/site/nycgov/menuitem.bd08ee7c7c1ffec87c4b36d501c789a0/index.jsp?doc_name=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nyc.gov%2Fhtml%2Fom%2Fhtml%2Fcontact_the_mayor.html

letting him know that he should follow the lead of cities such as London, Paris, Toronto and Beijing and ban carriages from his city’s streets.

 

thanks, Elizabeth