Coalition to Ban Horse-Drawn Carriages

Elizabeth Forel

My name is Elizabeth Forel and I am the president of the Coalition to Ban Horse-Drawn Carriages.  We opposed Intro 35A because it was designed to give the drivers a rate increase – not to help the horses.    

There  is nothing the city can do to make this industry more humane - -because it is   inherently and innately inhumane.  This is confirmed in Intro 35A.  This is why we want to see it end.    

To deaf ears, we have talked about the need for horses to have daily turnout to pasture – not a vacation, which is a human concept; and we have addressed the fact that the stall size in the  bill is  less than half of what it should be according to equine experts including the NYS Horse Health Assurance Program, which is part of the state government.    

But even these bogus improvements will not take effect for 180 days while the rate increase is immediate.    

We have complained that the two water troughs in Central Park do not produce water for half the year and are used for garbage.  We have talked about this inhumanity but no one who can do anything about it cares.   

It would have been more honest if the bill only included the rate increase – and left out every thing else, which was just window dressing anyway although giving the false impression that the changes were significant for the horses  - they were not .    

Recently Crain’s NY Business had an online poll asking this question:    

Did NYC need further guidelines for horse-drawn carriages?    

80%  of the total respondents or 478 voters checked the box that read

 "horse drawn carriages should be banned from the city altogether."   

I love my city and I want to be proud of it.  Please Mayor Bloomberg and Speaker Quinn – keep an open mind about Intro 86, the vintage car bill.  This bill will create real union jobs and will also guarantee that the horses do not end up at slaughter auctions – a huge loophole now.   

It will really make NYC proud. 

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