6 June 2007 - Vol. # 33 - SPECIAL EDITION
As we reported in the June 3rd special
issue of HORSE SENSE, a carriage horse spooked and broke away
from his driver on Saturday, June 2nd, galloped down the street for
a few blocks and was hit by an SUV on Seventh Avenue and 56th St.
The horse, a young black gelding, new to the streets of NYC, fell to
the ground. This issue was not reported by the media and although we
tried, no one would pick it up. A woman at the NY Post told us that
unless the horse was killed, it was not a story.
In describing the condition of the horse, Steve McNally, the
quick thinking passerby who photographed the accident and sent the
story to the online blog, Gothamist, said "I can't imagine he was
doing all that well. he didn't look good as he limped away. though
he did stand up and limp away of his own power, I'd guess adrenaline
(the naturally-occurring kind) had a lot to do with that ..."
In response to our question about whether or not he saw the
accident, he replied "I didn't see the horse get hit. I was on
55th St., heard him coming from the north down 7th (it was loud),
saw him pass with the driver running with him, heard him still as he
ran out of my line of sight, heard the crowd gasp, and I heard the
hit. when I got to the corner several seconds later, the horse was
already crowded around and then standing again."
We have not yet been able to identify the horse or stable.
However, a representative of the Department of Health told us that
the horse was examined by an equine vet, and although he had
inflammation (hello! - he was hit by an SUV!!) he did not sustain
injuries and was back to work on Tuesday, June 5th - two days after
the accident! Imagine being broadsided by an SUV and being sent back
to work in two days.
I know that many of you contacted the Mayor and your Council
Member. Thank you. The situation for the horses is never going
to change unless all of us make that phone call and keep up the
pressure. So if you have not yet done so, please contact
your Council Member and the Mayor if you live in NYC. If you live
outside of NYC, please contact the Mayor. Click
here
for Council Member information. Click
here to Contact Mayor Bloomberg. Please ask them to pass
legislation that would end the carriage horse industry. Tell them
that a 2000 pound horse who is out of control is dangerous to
himself and to pedestrians. Horse-drawn carriages do not belong in
congested NYC. Make reference to the Gothamist story since this
did not appear anywhere else.
And by the way - this is the second unreported (by the media)
accident we know about. The other, which occurred on April 13th at
Grand Army Plaza was reported in a previous issue of HORSE SENSE and
involved a horse hit by a taxi. How many other accidents go
unreported - and may as well not have happened!
The Coalition to Ban Horse-Drawn Carriages urges the City Council
and the Mayor to take action on this issue and pass legislation that
would end the dangerous carriage horse industry in New York City.
Besides being a humane issue for the horses who live lives of
misery, it is a serious safety issue for the public in this traffic
congested city.
"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 |
