25 March 2007 - Vol. # 21
Volunteers
** Police
Horses **
Letters to the Editor **
Carriage Horse stables
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
Tabling on Saturday, March 31 - Christine Quinn's district
The
Coalition to Ban Horse-Drawn Carriages will be tabling on Saturday,
March 31st. It will be at a new location, which we will give to
volunteers. We need volunteers to help us get signatures on
petitions to the Mayor and City Council -- and to hold posters. This
is not a demonstration but an educational event. It is an excellent
opportunity to help the horses and get to see how supportive both
tourists and New Yorkers are. You can volunteer for one hour or
four. We need to know when you will be there so we are sure to have
coverage. Please contact Teresa at verush@aol.com if you can
volunteer.WHEN: Saturday, March 31, 2007 WHERE:
midtown - information will be given to volunteers. TIME: 1-5
PM
NYPD HORSES GET NEW DIGS
More Space to Live and Exercise
NYPD horses get West Side home - By Emi Endo, AM-NY - March 20,
2007 Twenty-eight of the city's 80 police horses, assigned to
cover midtown and downtown, have moved up the river several blocks.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Police Commissioner Ray Kelly Tuesday
unveiled a new $8.7-million stable for Troop B of the mounted unit
at Pier 76, at 37th Street on Manhattan's West Side. The troop of 30
officers had to vacate its previous home at Pier 63 at 23rd Street
to make way for the construction of Hudson River Park. An esplanade
and seating area will go up at the site of the old stables.
Amenities at the new facility, next to a police tow pound, include
larger 10 by 10 stalls, a hay loft, a horse shower stall, a saddle
room and a 6,500- square-foot exercise ring that is covered and
heated. The chestnut and bay geldings can't get too comfortable,
though.
The mayor acknowledged the digs are only temporary because plans
for the park extend from Battery Park up to West 59th Street,
ultimately incorporating the new stable area. "Down the road, yes,
we'll have to find another place," Bloomberg said, adding that the
city sought ideas for locations.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR -
AM-NY
Better Treatment for Carriage Horses Needed
March
22, 2007 Re 'Cop Horses Get Posh New Digs' in yesterday's issue:
Police horses deserve their new and improved stable. Their large
stalls mean that a horse can lie down and really get a good sleep; a
generous-sized exercise ring means they can have turn-out time;
shower stalls means they can be kept clean. This is in stark
contrast to what the New York City carriage horse has. Their stables
are in multistoried warehouse buildings. The horse ascends a steep
ramp to access his stall -- most of which are too small for him to
lie down comfortably. And there is no opportunity for turnout.
Many of our Council Members like to point at the carriage horses as
a tourist attraction and seem not to be moved by this lack of
humanity toward these hard- working horses. If this is such a
desirable tourist attraction, why are stable tours not included in
the visitor guide books?--Elizabeth Forel, Coalition to Ban
Horse-Drawn Carriages
A COMMENT ON THE
CARRIAGE HORSE STABLES
Facts not Fiction
There
are five horse-carriage stables in Manhattan that house the horses
who work in the carriage industry. They are all warehouse-like
multi-storied buildings located on the far west side of Manhattan
between W. 37th St. and W. 52nd St. They are not open to the public.
Each building should have a Certificate of Occupancy (C of O) on
file with the Department of Buildings (DoB) -- This is the official
document used to certify the legal use and occupancy of a building.
It is issued by the DoB and describes how a building may be
occupied.
Two of the C of Os on file with the DoB list the occupancy as
"stables"; but one lists the occupancy as "storage" and a "garage"
and another as a "tenement." And one does not have a C of O at all.
All
of these stables are non-fireproof buildings and there is no law
mandating sprinklers although some may have what has been referred
to as an "inadequate sprinkler system" - and we hope that they all
have fire extinguishers. Several years ago, a hearing on a City
Council bill that would have mandated sprinklers in stables was
canceled and the bill died. Why? - only the "influential" know for
sure. There is also only one means of egress for these horses who
mostly live on the upper floors that are accessed by steep ramps.
While some of the stalls are now box stalls - big enough for a horse
to lie down - many of them are still standing stalls. Unlike the new
police stable, there is no such thing as an exercise ring or any
kind of turn out for these horses. After a nine hour work day, they
are returned to their stables and stay there until the next time
they are taken out to work.
The reason we tell you this is not to say that if the carriages
horses lived like the police horses everything would be fine. This
is such an inherently cruel and exploitative industry that the only
moral and ethical thing to do for these horses is to ban the
carriage horse trade outright. No - our comparison is simply to show
you what passes for acceptance by our City officials who like to
call it a tourist attraction. It is shameful and a blight on our
city.
OFFICIAL BRUSH OFF +
BLOG FLAMING
I Just Want to Throw Up My Hands
In
2006, Toronto Humane Society President, Tim Trow, wrote to New
York City Mayor, Michael R. Bloomberg, urging him to ban the
services of horse-drawn carriages in the city. Toronto banned
carriage horses in the 1970s. The response was not from Mr.
Bloomberg's office but from Norma Torres, Director of the Office of
Veterinary Affairs in the Department of Health. Ms. Torres spews the
party line, probably written by a disinterested PR flak. My comments
in bold.
OFFICIAL RESPONSE: "New York City has detailed and
comprehensive rental horse protection laws as well as an effective
enforcement program. [Oh really ? could have fooled us]
Each year veterinarians from the Office of Veterinary Public
Health Services perform unannounced street inspections of carriage
horses and monthly inspections of the five carriage stables.
Additionally inspections are performed by the ASPCA, NYPD mounted
police and the Parks Enforcement Patrol. [what are their
standards and where are the reports?] A street inspection
program with the NYPD mounted police has effectively eliminated time
and work zone violations by carriage horse operators [is she
kidding?] ASPCA field agents are on duty during extreme
weather conditions, [yeah like on Valentine?s Day when they
did not send the drivers back to their stables during the ice storm
until hours after it began] to ensure that horses stop
working at temperatures above 89 degrees [She is wrong - it
is 90 degrees] and below 18 degrees Fahrenheit. "[Ms.
Torres invites people to call 212-676 ?2120 with further questions ?
but refuses to take any calls or to return calls.] [As is painfully
obvious, the City, through the voice of Ms. Torres, does not
entertain the possibility that anything can be wrong with the
present system.]
THE FLAMING BLOGGER: The following are
excerpts from a carriage driver culled from the Blogs who, when not
driving her carriage, follows carriage horse discussions on the
internet and trolls in her two sense. She likes to tell people how
misinformed they are. Take a look: My comments in bold. "All my
24 carriages horses get turned out at least every 3-4 months,
[Hello - What about every day?] as we rotate them on our 50
acre family farm. And our working horses have a wonderful antique
carriage house, [Is she kidding? - I want a tour] not
''converted apartments'' as stated from another very misinformed
person. We have large box stalls, [the photo tells otherwise]
where they certainly can turn around and lie down, they have
automatic waterers in their stalls, skylights and exhaust fans at
each end of the stable, [wow - think I'll move in] 24
stable staff to provide for the horses, we have plenty of fire
extinguishers, a sprinkler system, too. And yes, I have seen the
other 4 stables, who have similar living quarters." OR
"The
majority of people love our horses, [not according to our
petitions] and it shows, as business grows every year,
and a rate increase is well on its way, with the City's Blessing, as
the City, appreciates our landmark tradition. [this is a cash
only business] The aspca and health department, are on very
good terms with all the city stables, and are in constant contact
with us and they don't seem to have any problems, which we are very
proud of., [Hmmmm - interesting ...] We are licensed,
inspected and are well up to the City standards, business keeps
increasing, and more drivers are getting their licenses.
[Please say it isn't true.] The Carriage horse business, is
quite deep and large, we pay huge property taxes, horses live in
several multi million dollar stables, [huh?] varied in
different locations, we employ drivers, blacksmiths, wheel wrights,
engineers, harness makers, and insurances, we are a legal respected
business, and recognized positive, by the aspca, health dept, and
police dept." [I am overwhelmed.]
PICTURES: 1st - tabling near Central Park; 2nd - horse
accessing ramp to his stall; 3rd - exterior - carriage horse stable;
4th - exterior - carriage horse stable; 5th - interior - carriage
horse stable showing straight or standing stalls; 6th - exterior -
carriage horse stable.
POST SCRIPT - DON'T DESPAIR
.....Because We're Not!
The inspirational words of these three great individuals keep us
going. I hope you are inspired too. MARTIN LUTHER KING: ?He who
passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as he who helps to
perpetrate it. He who accepts evil without protesting against it is
really cooperating with it.?
MARGARET MEAD: ?Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful,
committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only
thing that ever has.? ALBERT EINSTEIN: "The world is a dangerous
place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who
look and do nothing.?
| Thank you for caring about the horses, Elizabeth
Forel - Coalition for NYC Animals, Inc. for the
Coalition to Ban Horse-Drawn Carriages |
