3 June 2007 - Vol. # 31 (Also see,
SPECIAL
EDITION: 3 June 2007 - Vol. # 32)
*
Volunteering *
The odor travels *
what the travel industry says *
letters
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
Tabling on Saturday, June 9th
The
weather is great and the horses need your help. The
Coalition to Ban
Horse-Drawn Carriages needs volunteers to help 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 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, June 9th, 2007 WHERE: midtown -
information will be given to volunteers. TIME: 1-5 PM
HORSE TALK - EQUINE
NEWS AND VIEWS
they can smell it in New Zealand
Horse-drawn
carriages an environmental hazard? -- June 1, 2007 -- Hot
and humid days in New York are highlighting the environmental issues
surrounding horse-drawn tourist carriages. Last Saturday supporters
of the Coalition to Ban Horse-Drawn Carriages gathered in the city
to draw attention to their cause - and were surprised at the odor of
horse waste in Central Park.
"Saturday was so hot and humid that the smell of horse waste on
Central Park South was overwhelming," a spokesman said. "It is
beyond my understanding how the people who live on this high priced
boulevard - or those who dine in the outdoor restaurants - put up
with this. In plain English - it stinks!" The exhaust fumes from
tour buses unloading and loading passengers also drew attention:
"The buses pull into the hack line and discharge not only passengers
but harmful diesel exhaust fumes."
HORSE-DRAWN
TAXI FIRM FACES CLOSURE OVER DUNG
Bath, England -- not NYC
A
horse-drawn carriage company in Bath, England faces losing its
license because the horses keep fouling the city's highways. The
owner does not clean up after his horses and many people have
complained. Their council is listening!
In New York City the fouling of the environment marches on. While
most responsible horse owners deal with this odor by mucking their
horses' stalls out daily and treating for urine odor, Central Park
South is not so lucky. Particularly in the hot weather, the smell of
manure and urine is very strong. Urine is only washed away (not
adequately) by rain; manure is picked up by the Sanitation Dept.
Both permeate the street and sidewalks. A few years back, some
restaurant owners complained about this smell. The authorities
ignored their complaints, but it was charged that some of the
drivers withheld food and water from the horses. This was difficult
to prove.
TRAVEL GUIDES FOR NYC
what they're saying about the carriage horses
FROMMER'S
travel guides have been serving the public for over 50 years. On
their site, they talk about
New York Experiences to Avoid. These include Three-Card
Monte, New Year's Eve in Times Square, the bait and switch
electronic stores in Times Squares -- and the carriage horses.
"Horse-Drawn Carriage Rides: Pity those poor beasts of burden. They
get dragged out in the heat (though not extreme heat) and cold
(though not extreme cold) with a buggy attached to them just to give
passengers the feel of an old-world, romantic buggy ride through
Central Park. But the horses look so forlorn, as if it's the last
thing they want to do. And they don't even get a cut of the generous
take: $40 for a 20-minute ride, $60 for 45 minutes, excluding tip.
If you want a slow, leisurely ride through Central Park, minus the
ripe and frequent smell of horse poop, consider an alternative
called Manhattan Rickshaw Company (tel. 212/604-4729). The beast of
burden behind the rickshaw has two legs, and the rate is about $1
per minute."
From
SIDE STEP - THE TRAVELER'S SEARCH ENGINE: "At the entrance to
the park at 59th Street and Central Park South, you'll see a line of
horse-drawn carriages waiting to take passengers on a ride through
the park or along certain of the city's streets. Horses belong on
city streets as much as chamber pots belong in our homes. You won't
need me to tell you how forlorn most of these horses look; if you
insist, a ride is about $50 for two for a half-hour, but I suggest
skipping it." and from
TRAVEL IN NY - NYC UPPER WEST SIDE -- In describing the many
attractions along Central Park West, it goes on to say "avoid the
horse-drawn carriage because they charge $60 or $70 for a slow,
smelly and short ride that is just as fast (and much nicer) to walk.
The horse carriages cause major ruts and damage to the road, not to
mention all the horse manure that is dropped and smells terrible."
The Ritz Carlton on Central Park South (across from the hack
line) is a luxury hotel that charges close to $1,000 for a single
room and well over $4,000 for a suite. A review from
Forbes.com:
"The only downside to the hotel's proximity to Central Park is
the aroma from the carriage horses, which can be particularly bad
during a heat wave. A note to the romantically inclined: Take a
carriage ride during the spring or fall. HIGHS: Excellent service,
business support, Central Park views. LOWS: Stinky carriage horses,
the drab gym."
A review on line of the Ritz-Carlton Hotel on CPS: "My husband
and I celebrated our 28th wedding anniversary by staying the weekend
at the Ritz and while the suite overlooking the park was perfect and
the service impeccable, as we stood in the lobby by the front doors
waiting for a limo to take us to dinner, the horse manure smell from
the horse & buggy carriages right across the street was a turn off.
We couldn't pass the lobby without smelling the stench.
...........We wouldn't stay there again."
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
AM-NY - Take Care of Carriage Horses
AM-NY
- June 1, 2007 As the weather heats up, my thoughts turn to concerns
for the voiceless New York City carriage horses. Apart from
everything else that seems deplorable about this business, I would
like to bring attention to one regulation in particular which seems
to illustrate the seeming impossibility of operating this industry
humanely.
Supposedly, when the temperature reaches 90 degrees (not accounting
for humidity levels) the horses are to be driven back to their
stables, unharnessed and allowed to be driven back out when the
temperature decreases. Their cramped stables are located in various
out-of-the-way buildings on the far West Side of Manhattan, as far
south as 37th Street. When it reaches 90 degrees, these poor animals
are forced to make undoubtedly the worst trip of their day, pulling
their carriages through some of the heaviest traffic in the city,
between Central Park South and their stables, only to face making
the dreaded round trip a second time when they are driven back out.
What is the sense in this? -- Catherine Gore, Brooklyn
"If we see cruelty or wrong that we have the power to stop,
and do nothing, we make ourselves sharers in the guilt." -Black
Beauty - London, 1877
| Thank you for caring about the horses, Elizabeth
Forel - Coalition for NYC Animals, Inc. for the
Coalition to Ban Horse-Drawn Carriages |
