Shame: New York City papers working to defeat needed ban on horse-drawn carriages

Periodic updates about issues and actions concerning New York City’s Carriage Horses +

Coalition to Ban Horse-Drawn Carriages www.banhdc.orgHorses Without Carriages International www.horseswithoutcarriages.org

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NYC: On Monday, June 9th, A 6-year old horse name Pumpkin spooked and bolted on the hack line running into traffic and almost trampling bystanders. The media, for the most part, played it down, calling it a freak accident, which is not true. Horses are predictably unpredictable and can spook at the slightest provocation. This horse was not tied up and his driver was obviously not in the carriage and not paying attention – something we see all the time. This is Pumpkin – let’s see if he goes back to work.Then during the same week there were two carriage accidents in two days in Cincinnati, injuring the driver who was hospitalized. The Coalition had two articles published – one in One Green Planet and one in The Dodo. See below.

Contact Mayor deBlasio – tell him that you want a ban of horse-drawn carriages THIS YEAR. Ask him to move on this now. If he delays it for three years or if there is another accident, it will hurt him politically. Tell him that you voted for him because he promised to ban the trade – and even on the first day he took office, which we knew was an impossibility. Now he has put a time frame on it until the end of the year. Click Here. Please be respectful.

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On Monday evening, June 9th, a NYC carriage horse named Pumpkin spooked while waiting at the hack line on Central Park South. He bolted and ran into traffic almost trampling the crowd. With the carriage still attached to his back, he ran into the park, terrified. The carriage trade attempted to spin it as if it were not important. But this is nothing to make light of. Someone could have been killed or seriously injured as has happened in other cities. We know that a dead horse does not move the powers that be.The media – as expected – made light of it – especially WCBS, which called it a freak accident. Sorry – but when you deal with predictably unpredictable horses who become unwitting weapons when spooked, this is NEVER a freak accident. It is unfortunate that reporters and TV anchors do not feel it necessary to educate themselves about the nature of a horse and the danger carriage horses post to pedestrians. Here are some reports:

• NY Daily News –6/10/14 Runaway horse shows carriage trade ‘needs to be banned as soon as possible’ in city: activists
• CBS TV – 6/9/14 Runaway Horse Drags Carriage Around Central Park, Hits Cab

We will keep our eyes on Pumpkin. As has happened in the past, once a horse spooks in traffic, he generally is not put back into service and is sold.

One Green Planet – by Elizabeth Forel
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When is Enough Enough? Another Carriage Horse Accident in NYC –– One Green Planet – 6/10/14 – There has been yet another carriage horse accident in New York City. On June 9th, a Belgian draft named Pumpkin was waiting at the hack line at Central Park South when something spooked him and he bolted, charging into the park, dragging his driverless carriage – coming at people. A tourist jumped into the carriage trying to control him. His driver was on the sidewalk and obviously not paying attention – something we often see. Mets outfielder Matt den Dekker, who was in the area, tweeted “Almost got ran over by a horse carriage running wild through the city.” What would have happened if he had been trampled and injured or worse? Would it have been a game changer?NYC continues to dodge the bullet but it is only a matter of time before someone is seriously injured or killed. Campaign Promise Mayor deBlasio promised to ban the inhumane and unsafe horse-drawn carriage trade his first week in office and many people voted for him based on that promise. They also voted for him because of his progressive agenda. He quickly learned that this was a very complicated issue and a ban could not happen in a short time frame. He has said it will happen by the end of the year. And we believe him. But our patience is running thin. Bill deBlasio is the first mayor who gets it, who has expressed compassion for these horses and a real understanding of the safety issue. He is a true advocate who has had a lot thrown at him by the right wing press – but he continues to be resolute and steadfast on his promise. That’s what a true leader does. However, we want to impress upon the Mayor that he needs to take this more seriously and to ultimately accept the responsibility for these accidents because they are happening on his watch. READ MORE CLICK HERE.

The Dodo – by Mary Culpepper
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COMPETENCY AND PUBLIC SAFETY IN NYC CARRIAGE TRADE: PART 1 – 6/11/14 – Horse-drawn carriages don’t belong in New York City, and it’s not surprising when accidents happen. So when a 6-year-old Belgian draft horse named Pumpkin spooked and ran wildly into Central Park, pulling an empty carriage before smashing into an open taxicab door, we tallied the accident and breathed a sigh of relief that there were no fatalities or serious injuries. Not yet, anyway. The carriage trade wasted no time in brushing off the accident, dismissing it as a fluke and characterizing the response as an example of “professionalism” and good horsemanship. Nothing could be further from the truth — this accident was a disaster waiting to happen and the competency of the driver should be questioned.Except within activist circles, that questioning is unlikely to happen. New York City carriage drivers receive very little formal training, and it shows. This accident was particularly upsetting to true “horse people” because a Belgian is large horse breed that typically weighs at least 2,000 pounds. It is very dangerous to be in the path of 2,000-pound carriage horse who is running for his life — there’s very little margin for error. The city must take note of this. Carriage driver incompetency is not an insignificant matter. It’s another reason for an outright ban. Bridles Don’t Just Fall Off a Horse It was widely reported that Pumpkin “slipped his bridle.” Just slipped out of it. That should never have happened. A horse who was properly tied by a halter and lead rope to a sturdy stationary object, or whose driver had been in the box (driver’s seat area) of the carriage and holding the lines, would never have spooked this way. Halters are more difficult to rub off than the type of bridle often seen on NYC carriage horses. READ MORE CLICK HERE

Animal Legal Defense Fund – Jeff Pierce
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ALDF – 6/5/14 – Horse Carriage Ban the Only Meaningful Way to Protect NYC’s Carriage Horses Saverio Colarusso, the horse-drawn carriage driver charged with criminal animal cruelty in New York, is due back in court on June 16. Regardless of whether he cuts a plea deal or takes his case to trial, the allegation that he knowingly drove an injured horse (named Blondie) speaks volumes about the suffering that New York’s carriage horses endure.The facts in Blondie’s case, as alleged, are simple. Late last December, a police officer noticed that Blondie was limping and struggling while Mr. Colarusso was working her. When the officer questioned him, Mr. Colarusso reportedly stated that Blondie had been injured for four days. On that fourth day, Blondie had already been working the streets of New York City for five hours, all while her driver, by his own admission, knew she was injured. Blondie had thrush, a painful hoof infection that, when left untreated, becomes severe enough to cause lameness. Thrush occurs in wet, muddy, or unsanitary conditions, like an unclean stable. Blondie lived at Clinton Park Stables-the same stables where, in early May, Irish actor Liam Neeson publicly hosted city councilmembers and touted the supposedly high quality of care the industry’s animals receive. Mr. Neeson, who has become the industry’s unofficial spokesman, insisted during an appearance on the Daily Show that carriage drivers “treat these horses like children.” But Mr. Colarusso’s case proves the contrary: carriage drivers make money by driving their horses, not by giving them the care and rest they deserve. READ MORE CLICK HERE.

NOTICE: The court hearing for Saverio Colarusso is Monday June 16th at 9:00 am – 100 Centre Street. it is Part A – please check the list in the lobby for location of hearing. The public is allowed in the court room.

please donate what you can for our advertising campaign
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We will continue to run ads in Metro as long as we can. Next week our ads appear on Tuesday and Thursday. you may donate here. Please remember we are all volunteer and do not take salaries. Every penny you donate is put back into the organization. We are the organization that began the “ban” campaign in 2006 and we plan to continue our ad campaign until this inhumane, unsafe and abusive trade is stopped. We are hoping Mayor deBlasio takes positive action soon.Thanks to all of you who have donated to our campaign. It is much appreciated.

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CBS radio – 6/12/14 – – Anti-Carriage-Horse Activists Take Message To Times Square from the article: “He [Pumpkin] was running into the crowds, and he could have killed somebody,” Elizabeth Forel of the Coalition to Ban Horse Drawn Carriages told Kosola. “He could have killed himself.” Forel said activists often hand information to tourists where the carriages line up at Central Park. “We thought this time it would be interesting to get away from the hack line,” Forel said. When asked about Mayor Bill de Blasio’s promise to ban carriage rides, Forel said: “I think he’s going to do it. I wish he would move more quickly.”

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Fox19 TV – 6/13/14 – One hurt in second horse-drawn carriage accident – For the second time in just over 24 hours, a horse-drawn carriage crash shut down the Taylor-Southgate Bridge and sent one person to the hospital. As a safety precaution following Thursday’s accident, a company vehicle with flashing lights was trailing the carriage on the bridge, according to authorities. Police said a distracted driver rear-ended the trailing vehicle, causing it to slam into the carriage around 7:15 p.m. Police said the operator was thrown from the carriage on to the pavement. They were taken to University of Cincinnati Medical Center with unknown injuries. The horse, who police said is named Jimmy, continued to drag the damaged carriage down the bridge into Newport. “The horse just came walking up to the street by itself, going really slow. As soon as it got to the red light it just stopped by itself and a bystander got out and held on to him until the cops showed up,” said witness Jill Schuler. A company worker told FOX19 their horses have been making the same route for years, which is probably why he stopped at the light even without an operator. Officials caught up with the horse near Newport on the Levee. A similar accident involving the same carriage company shut down the Taylor-Southgate Bridge on Thursday.

to Mayor and City Council
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If you have not already signed this important petition, please do so now. And please share with others. We want Mayor deBlasio to keep his campaign promise and shut down this inhumane and unsafe carriage trade. We do not want a 3-year phase out because it will not work. So please click here to sign the petition and please share it with your friends and colleagues.

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