Media Coverage


HUFFINGTON POST  
1/18/08

I'm With Pink:  Ban NYC Horse-Drawn Carriages  
Patrick Waldo

Pop singer Pink is in New York City this week to spread the word about the city's dangerous and inhumane horse-drawn carriage industry. She made a stop at Late Night with Conan O'Brien on Wednesday where Conan sympathized with her cause, adding that he and his wife are bothered by seeing the horses, who "look unhappy," in an environment where they clearly don't belong.


Pink is teaming up with PETA to support New York City Council Member Tony Avella's legislation that would ban horse-drawn carriages in the city. Here's what PETA has to say about the cruel practice:


"Every year, the list of accidents involving horse-drawn carriages grows longer. Horses are often forced to labor in freezing and sweltering temperatures while walking on hard pavement, dodging cars, and inhaling exhaust fumes. After decades of controversy, it has become clear that additional rules and monitoring make no difference in the lives of these at-risk and dispirited animals. The only humane solution is a permanent ban on horse-drawn carriages."

When I lived in Hell's Kitchen I would hear these poor horses begin their daily commute at 7 or 8 a.m., trotting alongside honking cabs, double-decker buses, and tardy businessmen racing to get to work on time. They made the mile-long journey from their "stables" to Central Park in the worst conditions, from August heat to February snow. Some horses wouldn't return for the night until 2 or 3 a.m. The carriage drivers were always the same, fat guys from New Jersey with slicked-back hair and gold chains around their necks. Some would talk on their cell-phones, others would just ogle women. They appeared to lack even an ounce of concern for the well-being of the horses they profited off of.

If you're planning on touring our lovely city, please take a ride with willing participants, like pedicab drivers. I guarantee it will be a lot less poopy. For more information on the movement to ban horse-drawn carriages, please watch the trailer from the documentary Blinders and sign the petition to ban this outdated, cruel practice.





Coalition To Ban
Horse-Drawn Carriages


A Committee of the Coalition For New York City Animals, Inc.


Contact:
The Coalition for
NYC Animals, Inc.

P.O. Box 20247
Park West Station
New York, NY 10025

e-mail
Coalition@banhdc.org



To honor
Bobby II Freedom
previously known as Billy
ID# 2873 rescued by the Coalition to Ban Horse-Drawn Carriages and Equine Advocates on June 25, 2010 from the New Holland auctions.


In memory of
Lilly Rose O'Reilly
previously known
as Dada ID# 2711
R.I.P.August, 2007