Coalition to Ban Horse-Drawn Carriages

Jo .- January 30, 2009      

My name is Jo and I am a member of the Coalition to Ban Horse Drawn Carriages. We are here today in defense of the gentle giants – the carriage horses- who cannot speak for themselves.    

The carriage horse industry would have you believe that we are lonely, misguided individuals who have nothing better to do with our lives.  We have been called extremists, humaniacs, and, laughably hormonally imbalanced females.  Nothing could be further from the truth.   

We are your neighbors and friends, your co-workers – we are the individuals who sit beside you on the subway and the bus.  We represent people from all walks of life – doctors, lawyers, ambulance drivers, fireman, police officers, factory workers, musicians, artists. We have families, children, friends, careers, just as you do.  That is why it is time that we blew away the smokescreen of rhetoric and sarcasm that the carriage horse industry uses because they have no other defense but to attack us as people – as individuals.     

We are “every person” and we are here today because we care about the suffering of these animals.  Do you know, that according to the City Comptrollers office, NYC carriage horses are subjected to some of the worst conditions of any working animal.

The carriage horse industry is a tragedy veiled under the disguise of entertainment and every day that passes is another day that these horses suffer needlessly.  We need to put an end to this now.    

It is oh so easy to turn our eyes and ears from what we don’t want to see but as Dr. Wayne Dyer says “You see what you believe, rather than believe what you see.”

By the way, I have two adopted horses.  Tex who is 21 and Kahula who is 18.  They live happily on farm in PA.  I had the pleasure of taking care of them for 5 years on my own and I know what horses need to be healthy and happy – it is not pulling people around in a carriage all day.

Thank you.