News & Announcements 


Santos L. - January 30, 2009      

My name is Santos L.  and I am the founder of NYC Animal Rights.  We support Council Member Avella’s bill, Intro 658, to ban the carriage industry.  I’d  like to offer testimony today in opposition to Intro 653-A – focusing on only  two points because of the time limit.    

This bill appears to be a mixture of many different issues from rate increases to stable inspections.  It is ill advised.  It  states that a carriage horse shall not be younger than five years of age nor older than 20 years at time of purchase.  But it says nothing about the age at which a horse can be retired.  As long as a horse can still drag a carriage, he or she can be worked until they are in their 30s.  This is wrong.    

Another part of the bill has to do with the water made available for the horses.  For years, the industry ignored the fact that the two troughs in Central Park get turned off during the winter months and it is very difficult for many of the horses to be watered.  One of the troughs is consistently filled with garbage and the water in the other is filthy.  Any good veterinarian will tell you that communal water troughs are a veterinary nightmare and an enormous source of disease transmission for the horses– yet another reason why this industry needs to be shut down.    

This  bill states that all public water troughs should now be provided with the necessary piping and fixtures to make water available year round.  Nice thought – but who is going to pay for it – the City of NY?   

Mayor Bloomberg has asked all city agencies to reduce their budgets and some workers have already been laid off.   So why such favored treatment for a private and highly controversial industry ?     

If the industry cared so much for their horses as they profess to, they should pay for this themselves. 





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