Coalition to Ban Horse-Drawn Carriages

December 2012  

Three supporters for a ban on horse-drawn carriages recently submitted these caring and sensitive poems about the plight of NYC's carriage horses. 

A Carriage Horse Christmas Poem  
by Diane McEvoy   

'Tis the night before Christmas and all through the city   
Tourists were oooing and ahhing, saying “Isn’t this pretty?” 
”Let’s go to Central Park, they have carriage rides there!” 
They pick out a “cute” horse and then pay their fare.

They’re off on their ride without even a care 
That their horse is exhausted and hungry and dry 
Not knowing he wishes that like Charlie  
He could just lie down and die.

For no one could save him, no one at all 
At least four more trips ‘til they’d be off to his stall. 
To get there it would be four flights to the place he called home. 
An airless tight box was no comfort at all.

In the morning they’d be off again, skirting the cars 
His shoe was loose, it hurt him but what did it matter? 
Tourists love carriage rides so this was his life 
Unless someone comes forward and shouts

“THIS IS NOT RIGHT.”

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The Swan Song of A Carriage Horse
by Lakiesha Love

Not today, this cannot be?! 
Fares taken,  
Reigns left free.  
"All aboard?!"  
One, two, three.

Crack the whip,  
Cold bit. 
Lash lines left along my hips.

Tourists coo. 
Swollen joints 
And metals shoes, 
On wet macadam

Cracking hooves. 
Sides still heaving, my lungs wheezing  
Chilly air. 
God's grace, I'm still breathing.

Mouth left dry.  
Weary mind. 
Eyes filled with tears I shall not I cry. 
Count the ribs as we go. 

Please my master, do I try.  
This burden, mine  
Small spaces, 
Evening's meal I can not find.

Needless tethers,  
Wounded pride. 
Mud burnt feathers, 
Sweaty thighs.

Suffering here, all together.  
In this stall shall I lie, 
This decision, finally mine!

No blanket warmth, no friends close by. 
Tuck my legs beneath my side... 
Pull that cart one more day? 

To this I say...I'd rather die.

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I am Carriage Horse,
 by Yuki Endo 

 

I am horse from Amish. 
I live in bad hotel.  
I have no space to lay down. 
I have to sleep standing up.

My hotel is not fire proof.   
On day of my duty daily.  
Owner walks me down dangerous steep slope  
to street level.   

She or he hooks carriage on my back.   
Some owner don't feed me carrots, but only grains.   
I have to share my food with my friend, Pigeons.     

They force me to walk, ran through  
busy traffic. 
My boss force me to work non-stop   
Forcing tourists onto my carriage.

While I am waiting for tourists, 
my both tied me up to street ramp, 
traffic light ramp, parking sign or  
bus stop pole.    

I cannot stand temperature when it reach 18*F and below or  
90*F and above.    

I want to yield to pedestrian, my boss wouldn't let me. 
I want to follow rule of roads just like car,  
my boss wouldn't let me.  
I don't want my carriage ride to be overload with tourists, 
my boss don't care.

 Some of us get spooked easily  
because taxi drivers, car drivers or truck drivers  
have no respect for us. 
Even cyclists and pedicabs, skateboarders.   

I have to breath polluted air from cars or buses.  
I have to navigate through all kinds of vehicles.   

I don't want to stay here.  
I don't like city.  
I don't like noise.  
I want to go to home.  
Not to bad hotel.  
But in good farming hotel in country side.   
where owner and children takes cares of me.

 I don't want to go to bad industry. 
where they killed many of my friends   
for meat.     

Sick to my stomach,  
I want to roam free.  
I want freedom because  
I feel like an African Slave working for white people.

 Please tourists don't take ride on my ride.
I don't want you to give my boss $50   
for forcing me to work.

Please go for my friend's protected carriage, which are  
buses or taxis.  
Pedicabs and rent a bike sounds good to me.

 My friend got spooked in Columbus Circle and ran away with  
two couples whose romantic turned tragedy   
and hit my friend, parked limo  
which was resting peacefully until friend's carriage
crushed. Carriage got also got destroyed.

In memory of
Monty
Rescued former Boston carriage horse R.I.P. July 20, 2013

To honor
Bobby II Freedom
former NYC carriage horse 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
former NYC carriage horse previously known as Dada ID# 2711 R.I.P.August, 2007