All Our Lovely Creatures

Coalition to Ban Horse-Drawn Carriages

On Saturday, March 3rd, a horse traveling back to his stable, spooked and bolted into traffic on 11th Avenue near 52nd St, pulling his over-turned empty carriage after him. His journey ended when he fell on the street a block or two later. An eyewitness sent us a video of the aftermath of the accident. The police arrived on the scene and it is hoped they made a report. They are clearly seen in the video. Click Here. According to the eyewitness, the horse was shaking and looked frightened from this ordeal. He was unhooked from the carriage by the driver and walked down 11th Avenue, presumably to his stable. The eyewitness, who was walking her dog, had just crossed 11th Avenue when she heard a very loud crash. When she turned to look, the horse was already tearing down the street, the carriage in tow. Upset at seeing this accident and the horse fall — and experiencing a very close call, she said that if she had still been on the other side of the street, she is sure that she and her dog would have been injured. The horse appeared to be OK, but he must have been bruised. The industry gets rid of horses who spook.

Horses do not belong on the congested streets of NYC being barraged with a variety of stimuli. As prey animals who weigh between 1,500 and 2,000 pounds and who will bolt and spook at the slightest provocation, these sensitive, nervous animals become unwitting weapons and could kill or injure themselves or passersby. The Coalition has repeatedly asked Mayor Bloomberg and Speaker Quinn to take this safety issue seriously and ban horse-drawn carriages. We hope it will not take a person dying for the administration to finally address these important concerns.

Coalition to Ban Horse-Drawn Carriages www.banhdc.org

Horses Without Carriages International www.horseswithoutcarriages.org