11 March 2007 - Vol. # 19
Tabling **
Opinion Piece **
Existing Regulations **
Making a
Complaint
Tabling Resumes - March 18th
Please Join Us
The
Coalition to Ban Horse-Drawn Carriages will resume tabling next
Sunday, March 18th near Central Park South. We need volunteers to
help us get signatures on petitions to the Mayor and City Council --
and to hold posters. This is not a demonstration but an educational
event. It is an excellent opportunity to help the horses and get to
see how supportive both tourists and New Yorkers are. You can
volunteer for one hour or four. We need to know when you will be
there so we are sure to have coverage. Please contact Teresa at
verush@aol.com if you can volunteer.
WHEN: Sunday, March 18, 2007 WHERE: near Central Park
South - information will be given to volunteers. TIME: 1-5 PM
OPINION PIECE
The "Carriage Horse" - Lessons We Teach our Children by Dr.
Deborah Tanzer
Horses
are magnificent animals. Strong, proud, beautiful. They run in the
wind, manes flying, legs galloping over the earth beneath their
feet. This is the horse our stories and lessons teach our children
about. But we teach a different lesson, an ugly one, when we allow
horse-drawn carriages. "Carriage" horses have been cruelly deprived
of their birthright to run free, to fly with the wind, to feel the
earth. Even to see fully with the eyes that nature has given them.
Instead, they are exploited for human amusement, and forced to carry
heavy loads. They stand imprisoned, their vision marred. Traffic
noise, toxic fumes, blazing heat, freezing cold, rain and snow. This
is what we have mandated for them.
The lesson to our children is an immoral one. We are saying it is
alright to treat horses this way. That it is alright that they are
imprisoned, exploited, and sad. Far from teaching compassion and
empathy, this message desensitizes us, with harmful consequences for
us all. For the sake of the horses, our children, and ourselves, it
is time to ban horse- drawn carriages forever. Deborah Tanzer is
a long-time animal activist in NYC, and a psychologist who writes
about the links between human violence and cruelty to animals.
EXISTING LAWS
Regulating the Horse-Drawn Carriage Industry
The problems inherent in the horse-drawn carriage industry will not
be solved by enacting more laws. There are many existing laws that
are now either being inadequately enforced by the various NYC
agencies and the ASPCA ? or not enforced at all. The answer is to
get rid of this inhumane industry and to move forward with a more
progressive and humane NYC ? one that elevates our moral and ethical
sensibility; one that cares as much about victimized and exploited
animals as it does about people; to free up the personnel in City
Agencies assigned to work on this industry and who are paid with our
tax dollars; to free up the ASPCA to focus on other issues; and to
free up the people of the City of NY from being reminded of man's
inhumanity to animal.
Many of you have asked me questions about the existing laws that
regulate the horse-drawn carriage industry - most of which are part
of the Administrative Code and are on the web site of the
Coalition for New York City Animals. I have highlighted some of
the most important ones below.
DEPT. OF HEALTH (DoH):
Title 17 Chapter 3 are concerns of the Department of Health and
cover the horses. Every horse in the system is required to have an
official number engraved on his/her hoof and a separate
identification tag, which is attached to the bridle. If you see a
horse in distress, in theory it is important to get these numbers to
make a complaint. However, it is virtually impossible for anyone ?
especially someone wanting to make a complaint ? to be able to get
close enough to read the numbers. Read more about making a complaint
below.
DISPOSITION: Section 17-329 addresses the disposition of
horses and states only that ?A horse shall not be sold or disposed
of except in a humane manner.? Because of this inadequacy in the
law, if a horse is not generating enough fares ? either too old, too
tired, unattractive or unruly ? he can be sent to auction. Auction
is the easiest way to ?dispose? of a horse. It brings in some cash,
which can be used to buy a new horse. At the auctions, a horse
generally goes to the highest bidder. Although rescue groups often
frequent the auctions along with people looking for a horse to bring
home as a pet, they are in competition with the killer buyers who
work for the horse slaughter houses and are always looking for good
specimens. These horses will be sent to one of three foreign-owned
horse slaughter plants in the United States ? two in Texas and one
in Illinois. More than 100,000 horses were slaughtered in the US
last year for the foreign dinner plate. It only stands to reason
that some were former carriage horses. No where in the law
does it specifically state that a horse shall not be sold directly
or indirectly for slaughter.
WORK SCHEDULE/STABLE INSPECTIONS: This section of the law
also addresses the number of hours a day a horse may work (nine) and
the required rest periods and breaks ? again ? almost impossible to
enforce. Stable inspections are included here and lists those
authorized to do so. No matter how wonderful the carriage owners say
their stables are ? (one was actually quoted in a newspaper as
saying they were air conditioned) - I have never seen any
stable tours offered to tourists.
TEMPERATURE RESTRICTIONS: The temperature at which the
horses can work are regulated in this section. Horses shall not be
worked whenever the air temperature is 18 degrees F. or below or 90
degrees F. or above. There is no consideration for wind chill
or humidity. In addition, the law states that the
temperature shall be measured by a ?state of the art thermometer"
either by the Commissioner of the DoH or his designee at one of the
hack stands ? in this case ? the ASPCA. So in essence, this means
that it is the ASPCA Humane Law Enforcement (HLE) officer who
determines the temperature ? not the carriage driver. It is not a
matter of giving the responsibility to the driver to listen to the
temperature on NY1. Adverse weather conditions are also addressed in
this section and described as "dangerous conditions which are a
threat to the health or safety of the horse" and mandate that the
horse must be returned to the stable.
Title 20 consists of matters overseen by the DEPARTMENT OF
CONSUMER AFFAIRS (DCA). This section deals with the requirement
of a special license to operate a carriage. There is no
requirement for a NYS drivers license. It also addresses the
license plate that is required to be affixed to the back of the
carriage. The plate consists of the letters "HC" followed by four
digits. If making a complaint about a specific carriage (there are
68) it is important to get this license number. If you cannot get
the identification number of the horse involved (it is very
difficult to do this) the next best thing is to get a visual
description of the horse.
DRIVING RESTRICTIONS: It is
possible for the authorities - including police officers - to
restrict drivers from operating in specific locations at specific
times. Such exigent circumstances ?shall not be limited to,
unusually heavy pedestrian or vehicular traffic." During the transit
strike of December 2005, I was in a car heading north on 10th Ave.
For those of you who live in NYC, you will remember that public
transportation was non existent. It was bumper to bumper - like a
parking lot. The police apparently did not restrict the drivers
during this crisis because I saw several carriages going up 10th
Avenue headed north to Central Park. Another example of the
police not getting involved with enforcing these regulations.
NO. OF PEOPLE IN CAB: The number of people allowed to ride
in a cab is addressed in this section ? not including the driver it
may be 4 adults - or; 2 adults and 4 children under 12 - or; 3
adults and 2 children under 12. It does not include a 2nd driver who
may be a trainee ? and it does not address the addition of a heavy
folded baby carriage, often seen stuffed next to the driver on his
seat. Inspection of horse-drawn cabs and insurance requirements are
addressed in this section.
AREA & TIME RESTRICTIONS are also covered here. Carriages
mostly operate around Central Park ? but they can go into the
Lincoln Center and Times Sq. area depending on the time of day and
day of the week. This is one of the hardest provisions to enforce
because the ASPCA is not generally working the areas ? and the
police are often not familiar with this part of the law, which
requires one to commit the lengthy restrictions to memory.
MAKING A COMPLAINT
What You Need to Know
NECESSARY INFORMATION TO MAKE A COMPLAINT: When you see a
violation, mark down the following so you can make a solid complaint
-- the location of the violation; the date and time; 4-digit license
plate located on the back of the carriage; visual description of the
horse if you cannot get the number -- and a description of what you
consider to be a violation of the law. This can be a horse who has a
bleeding leg; a notable limp; sores from ill fitting tack; any signs
of distress; a carriage with more than the allowed occupants;
carriages operating out of the allowed area; a violation of
temperature restrictions. When making a complaint, you should always
make a note of the date and time of your call; the person with whom
you spoke and what they said. Always leave your name with a call
back number to get an update - but make a point to follow through.
If you see a violation of any of the provisions listed above - you
should report this to the ASPCA (212) 876-7700 - x 4450 -
this is the Humane Law Enforcement number. Please notify me at
coalitionbanhdc@gmail.com about any complaint you make and its
disposition.
PICTURES: 1st - tabling near Central Park; 2nd -
"carriage horse"; 3rd - horses corralled for slaughter; 4th -
exterior of multi-storied NYC horse stable; 5th - horse accessing
steep ramp in stable to reach his stall.
| Thank you for caring about the horses, Elizabeth
Forel - Coalition for NYC Animals, Inc. for the
Coalition to Ban Horse-Drawn Carriages |
