Was so sad over this...

I know.  I can't stop thinking of this either.   The pictures on the news made me so sad.

These horses do not belong on the busy streets of New York.  It's time to stop this practice.  Mayor Bloomberg whining about tourist business makes me sick.  There's plenty of stuff here that draws tourists.  Riding in a carriage in Central Park may have once been a "romantic" thing to do, but the time is past, and the New York tourist industry will certainly survive without hansom cabs.

That's so sad! We have a couple of those horses in Wilmington, but they're treated very well. They are rescue horses and the man who owns the business absolutely loves them. I can't imagine how stressful NYC would be for cab horses... I didn't even know they had them there.

Said horse is fine according to a post on a horse board I belong to. He got hung up in his harness and just laid down like any well broke harness horse will do when tangled. They wait to get things fixed rather than struggling to get up - and yes, even many race horses do the same.

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Originally Posted by LaRussa 

Yes I did hear this on the news last night and I was happy to hear he was all right.  I still think they should stop this practice tho, but Bloomberg has always been money hungry.

 

Agreed!!

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Originally Posted by Feralvr 

Breaks my heart. Those horses work so hard. Not the best life .....

So true!!

A couple of things - the mayor of NYC gets nothing from this, the money earned by the horses goes to the owners and drivers; the closest he, or the city itself gets is the licencing for the carriages. Far more important is the outcome for ALL animal owners if the radical animal rights people get their way - those horses ALL go to 'approved homes' or slaughter, most likely the latter, and the owners/drivers get NO compensation for loss of income or horse(s).

Think about it for a bit. It isn't a far stretch from carriage horses in whatever city to prohibition of owning cats, dogs or even fish.

As to injury, minor or fatal, of these horses, around 150 horses go out every day, in two shifts, which means there are a lot more horses involved than that number. One horse getting snarled in harness after a few days off and one death (Charlie, I believe his name was) is pretty good management. Horses can maim themselves in pasture or in a stall. Horses in work are actually less susceptible to life ending injurie or career ending ones as they are under constant watch and for the most part, any little scrape is treated, and anything bigger may result in the horse getting time off to heal depending on the problem.

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Originally Posted by sk_pacer 

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Think about it for a bit. It isn't a far stretch from carriage horses in whatever city to prohibition of owning cats, dogs or even fish.

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Cats, dogs and fish don't have to negotiate insane NYC traffic.  I watched a horse and carriage hit by a car a couple of years ago, in my neighborhood.  The horse was trapped under the car and had to be put down.  This horse was spooked by the traffic and the rain. Horses are easily spooked.  Some of the drivers these days are doing it purely for the money, and have no idea how to handle a horse.  And Charlie had been sick for a long time, and nobody did anything about it, even though vets visit these horses regularly. 

Granted, most of them are well cared for, and the ASPCA monitors them, but I will maintain that a horse and a carriage do no belong on the busy streets that exist in NYC these days.  The reason the mayor is up in arms about this is he's afraid of tourist dollars being lost.  I hardly think that a tourist will decide to not come to NYC because, "Oh, gee.... I won't get a chance to ride in a carriage in Central Park".

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Originally Posted by Willowy 

I do think they should keep the horses and carriages IN the park. When I was there and took a carriage ride, I was surprised how much time we spent in the traffic. I'd rather go through the park. . .it's prettier. If I wanted to be in traffic I'd take a taxi. No reason for the horses to be on the public streets like that.

I know!!  Now, that would be a good solution!

The whole horse-pulled carriage is an antiquated outdated needless $$$ machine in NYC (along with other cities, who, thankfully, most of them have abandoned).  Horrible, horrible existence for these animals, heat, snow, etc... it's embarrassing in this day and age to continue this nonsense.. WAKE UP FOLKS, IT'S NOT 1865 anymore, open your eyes, we don't need to abuse animals for transportation, entertainment, etc., 

I was relieved I did not witness this as a visitor of Manhattan 6 yrs. ago

If I can walk in NY, a horse can walk in NY.   If these animals are not being properly cared for by their caretakers, that is one thing, but the idea that a horse drawn carriage or being around people and cars is somehow animal cruelty I personally find quite ridiculous.   And the reality wake up call should be pretty apparent on what the fate is of animals that have no function or utility in society... many existing ones will be put down and eventually simply less will exist.  

And I'm quite sure the entire point is that it is antiquated, as a way to remember how things were and share that bit of history, culture, and tradition of our ancestors before us and give a sense of continuity that all that is old is not forgotten and gone forever.   Same thing with Buckingham Palace and the silly poofy hats, it is antiquated by design.

Lastly, in the current climate of "going green", what can be more environmentally friendly and provide a touch of nature than a horse drawn carriage in an otherwise sterile concrete environment with polluting steel carriages burning fossil fuels rather than grass as the alternative?

For those that support banning keeping such animals for our amusement and pleasure, don't be too surprised when PETA then uses the same logic to ban companion animals from captivity and human slavery.

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Originally Posted by Ducman69 

If I can walk in NY, a horse can walk in NY.   If these animals are not being properly cared for by their caretakers, that is one thing, but the idea that a horse drawn carriage or being around people and cars is somehow animal cruelty I personally find quite ridiculous.   And the reality wake up call should be pretty apparent on what the fate is of animals that have no function or utility in society... many existing ones will be put down and eventually simply less will exist.  

 

And I'm quite sure the entire point is that it is antiquated, as a way to remember how things were and share that bit of history, culture, and tradition of our ancestors before us and give a sense of continuity that all that is old is not forgotten and gone forever.   Same thing with Buckingham Palace and the silly poofy hats, it is antiquated by design.

 

Lastly, in the current climate of "going green", what can be more environmentally friendly and provide a touch of nature than a horse drawn carriage in an otherwise sterile concrete environment with polluting steel carriages burning fossil fuels rather than grass as the alternative?

 

For those that support banning keeping such animals for our amusement and pleasure, don't be too surprised when PETA then uses the same logic to ban companion animals from captivity and human slavery.

Once again, a human being and "silly poofy hats" are not horses. Have you been to NY recently?  You may be able to walk in NY, but you have to keep a constant watch on traffic if you're walking.   These horses are being driven sometimes (granted, not all times) by incompetent drivers who have no idea what to do if a horse gets spooked in heavy traffic, horns blaring, tires screeching.  Horses get spooked.  NYC traffic is not the place for them. 

And if we're talking about pollution due to fossil fuels, I can only cringe at what these animals are inhaling, being driven through bumper to bumper traffic. 

Yeah, and I'm sure PETA has other things to worry about than taking our pets.

I'm so sick of the whole "just wait and see what PETA will do next" stuff.  
 

I think I'd better opt out of this thread from now on before I get into trouble.  This issue causes me to get sarcastic and nasty, and I think I'd better stop while I'm ahead.  Can you put a whole thread on ignore?    It's one of the reasons I don't go to the IMO forum - too upsetting when I get involved in "discussions". 

So, I think I'll stick to the nice pictures of our fluffy, furry friends!    .....and the questions of the day, and the recipes, and the discussions of "tails" 

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Originally Posted by nanner 
And if we're talking about pollution due to fossil fuels, I can only cringe at what these animals are inhaling, being driven through bumper to bumper traffic. 

 

Yeah, and I'm sure PETA has other things to worry about than taking our pets.

 

They are inhaling the same thing as millions of people there.   Horses deserve respect but don't need more rights than people IMO.   Are we going to throw mothers in jail for child abuse because they let their kids walk on NY sidewalks? And the point was that NY police officers and horse drawn carriages and what not are a step in the right direction when it comes to the environment.  If any place could use more green and nature, its NYC.

Regarding PETA, they have announced on multiple occasions that keeping domestic animals is slavery, and they have issued a lawsuit as recently as October of this year trying to convince the courts that the 13th Amendment of the constitution banning slavery should apply to animals as well:  http://news.yahoo.com/peta-lawsuit-seeks-expand-animal-rights-222219887.html

I do agree that I wish they had better things to worry about.

Well said, Ducman. I agree wholeheartedly about PETA and RARA.

FWIW, the whole thing is really more about money than the horses anyway - apparently, the stables are on prime land for development and are blocking said development. One developer, also a huge donator to several groups is rumoured to be the push behind getting rid of the carriages.

I have been following this for quite some time now, mostly via another message board, through posts by someone high up in the NY carriage horse group.