13 May 2007 - Vol. # 28
Volunteering
* Teddy *
New Life & New
Hope *
T-Shirt Sale *
AETA
VOLUNTEERING
Tabling on Saturday, May 19th - Speaker Christine Quinn's
district
Do
you have an hour or two? The weather is great and the horses need
your help. The
Coalition to Ban Horse-Drawn Carriages will be tabling on
Saturday, May 19th in Speaker Christine Quinn's district. 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, May 19th, 2007 WHERE: midtown -
information will be given to volunteers. TIME: 1-5 PM
TEDDY
the gentle giant and former carriage horse
Teddy,
a grey dapple Percheron gelding, is about 10 years old and is a
former carriage horse who has lived at
Central New England Equine
Rescue (CNEER) since November. Although a relatively young and
strong boy, he had bloody sarcoids all over his body, including a
very large one on his sheath. Sarcoids are benign lesions or tumors
that involve connective tissue. They are persistent, but very
treatable. These sores were unattractive however, and in the
carriage industry - a death sentence - not to mention an unwelcome
expense. In a world where one NYC driver paints her horse's hooves
with purple metallic paint - prettiness is the name of the game.
With this strike against him, if Teddy had gone on to the auctions -
chances are, he would have been bought by a killer buyer. But
Central New England Equine Rescue stepped up to the plate and
rescued Teddy, providing him safe haven. He has had successful
surgery but is still under treatment.
Teddy's vet thinks he must have been drugged frequently when pulling
the carriages since he requires such a large dose to go under for
any of the treatments. She believes he was probably drugged every
time he went out on the streets because he is a bit edgy - not a
desirable quality in a carriage horse. Teddy remains terrified of
Bob, the blacksmith, who is a very kind and patient man with a horse
whisperer's voice. Poor Teddy breaks into a terrified sweat when Bob
puts on his blacksmith apron or picks up the rasp to work on the
horses. And of course, everyone wonders what they did to him in his
former life to make him act this way.
But Teddy is a sweet, gentle giant and likes to act like a
mischievous little boy. Vicky of CNEER says "he enjoys playing
with the other horses and likes to get his pals running and
cavorting and then stands and watches them - I swear he is laughing
at them! Teddy has a long way to go but he is getting to trust a bit
more each time someone goes to him with a gentle pat and a kind
word" -- something he probably did not get too much of in his
life as a carriage horse.
Another fan, Helen, describes a situation one morning in the
bitter cold as she tried to budge the frozen stall door. All the
horses were eager to get out of their stalls for breakfast.
"Every time I tried to open it, Teddy would bump me with his big
head and toss me a few feet. I kept pulling on the stall door and he
kept bumping me until he clear knocked me over. I was laughing and
laughing and he definitely had a twinkle in his eye."
Helen then describes Teddy as he tears out of his stall running
like the wind, kicking up his heels and bucking -- "then he stops
dead - looks back at me with a twinkle in his eyes for sure; lifts
his head up and does a rubber lips, which sure looks like he is
laughing. Then he walks over to munch on his hay." Teddy will
remain at CNEER until he is ready to be placed in a good home.
See more pictures of handsome Teddy on
NYC Animals'
web site. The poignant imagery of this great horse running in
the wind, so thoroughly enjoying himself, reminds us that horses
love to be free -- not stuck between the shafts of a carriage for
nine hours a day without even being able to scratch an unbearable
itch -- only to go back to a stall with no possibility for turnout
-- and in the case of Teddy's former carriage stall -- not being
able to stand up straight. We have it in our power to right this
wrong - to put an end to this archaic and cruel trade ... for all
the Teddys, Montys and Lillys and all the ones who don't make it
out.
THE HOPE OF SPRING
Three new lives - despite incredible odds
JUST
IN TIME FOR MOTHER'S DAY: Mama, a Thoroughbred mare, was
pregnant when she was rescued by the Humane Society of Missouri last
September from the
horrific trailer wreck on I-44 in Missouri. The trailer was on
its way to the slaughter house and although some died in the
accident, this intervention saved the rest from a grisly death.
Amazingly, Mama survived and gave birth April 18th to a healthy colt
whose name is
Twister - short for Twist of Fate. The miracle colt has long
legs and is full of spunky spirit. He'll grow up big and strong
under Mama's watchful eye and the care of staff and volunteers at
Longmeadow Rescue Ranch.
And
at the
Kindness Ranch in Wyoming, a foal, named
Second Chance, was born on April 30th to Stormy a rescued
"Premarin Mare" - given up when the rancher who used her in
Premarin production lost his pharmaceutical contract.
Foals of pregnant mares on Premarin farms are at high risk for
slaughter - especially males. Chance (for short) does not have to
worry however. Both he and his mom, Stormy, will live out their
lives together at the Kindness Ranch. The Kindness Ranch welcomes
visitors so you can make plans to see Stormy and Chance and all
the other rescued animals.
Snickers,
a blind 11 year old bay mare, was one of 30 horses actually
inside the slaughter house in Cavel, Ill, when a
federal court order closed them down. Many horse rescue
organizations stepped up to the plate to take in these survivors,
giving them a second chance at life. What was 30 horses, however,
turned into 31, when Snickers, who was taken in by the Fair Dinkum
Farm in Wyoming and who did not appear pregnant, gave birth on April
16th, to a healthy foal who was named
Willie in part after Willie Nelson - a great friend to horses
and advocate against horse slaughter. HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY TO ALL
THREE NEW MOMS!
STOP HORSE SLAUGHTER PERMANENTLY IN
THE U.S. -The plant in Illinois is tragically operating again.
Let's put an end to horse slaughter in the US permanently by getting
Congress to pass the The American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act.
Call the Capitol switchboard at 202-224-3121 and ask for your two
U.S. Senators' and U.S. Representative's offices. Urge your Senators
to "support H.R. 249 to protect wild horses from slaughter and
cosponsor S. 311 to stop the sale and transport of all horses to
slaughter." Urge your Representative to "cosponsor H.R. 503 to stop
the sale and transport of all horses to slaughter." New Yorkers:
neither Senator Clinton nor Senator Schumer are co-sponsors of these
bills. Ask them for their support and to push these bills forward
for a vote. If you do not know who your representatives are, see
this web site. See
the
HSUS web site for more information on this issue.
BAN HORSE-DRAWN
CARRIAGES T-SHIRTS
Promote our message to help the horses
The warm weather is here and it is time to wear your t-shirts - ours
preferably. Wear it to the gym to educate people about the carriage
horses; wear it to table with us - or just wear it because it looks
good and is comfortable. We have a sizable inventory of t-shirts
(shown here) in small, medium and large - that we want to sell to
raise money for our campaign. They run a little big. The slogan on
this style is "Show Compassion" "Say No to a Carriage Ride."
We also have a few left of the women's cap sleeve t-shirt in size
medium, which is to size. The slogan on this shirt is "There's No
Romance in Cruelty". We are offering these shirts at $15
including postage - a $5-10 savings from our
Internet store. If you
are interested, please e-mail me at coalitionbanhdc@gmail.com with
the size needed. I will e-mail you back to let you know if it is
available. Only checks are accepted. Although all sizes are
available, please wait until you hear from me confirming it. At that
time, checks should be made out to Coalition for New York City
Animals, Inc., P.O. Box 20247, New York, NY 10025. However, if you
want to purchase anything through
our store, credit
cards are accepted through PayPal. We have caps, t-shirts, sweat
shirts; tote bags and a tee for your dog.
ANIMAL ENTERPRISE TERRORISM ACT (AETA) PRESENTATION
this Tuesday, May 22nd at the NYC Bar Association
On
May 22, the NYC Bar Association Committee on Legal Issues Pertaining
to Animals will sponsor "The Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act:
Civil Rights as a Casualty in Anti-Terrorism Rhetoric"
WHEN: Tuesday, May 22, 2007, 6 - 9 pm WHERE: NYC Bar
Association, 42 West 44th Street , NYC
A serious setback for civil rights, the newly enacted federal Animal
Enterprise Terrorism Act (AETA) risks targeting free speech
advocates as terrorists even in the absence of any harm or damage,
or for any loss of corporate profits. This program will address
AETA's far-reaching implications.
Moderator: ODETTE J. WILKENS Member, Committee on Legal
Issues Pertaining to Animals; Executive Director, Equal Justice
Alliance Speakers: WILL POTTER Award-winning Journalist;
Creator of www.GreenIsTheNewRed.com blog focusing on the effects of
the war on terrorism on civil liberties; PETER MULLER
Principal, League of Humane Voters; MINNA ELIAS New York
Chief of Staff and Counsel to Congresswoman Carolyn B. Maloney
(D-NY); H. LOUIS SIRKIN Sirkin Pinales & Schwartz LLP; ANDREW F.
ERBA Williams Cuker Berezofsky; ROBERT A. OBLER Criminal Trial
Attorney; HEIDI BOGHOSIAN Executive Director, National Lawyers
Guild; DAVID CASSUTO Associate Professor of Law, Pace Law School.
| Thank you for caring about the horses, Elizabeth
Forel - Coalition for NYC Animals, Inc. for the
Coalition to Ban Horse-Drawn Carriages |
