Coalition to Ban Horse-Drawn Carriages

Maria Meringolo  -  January 30, 2009      

Hello my name is Maria Meringolo and I am here today to support Councilman Tony Avella's bill, Intro 658,  to ban horse-drawn carriages from our New York City streets.     
 I believe the horse drawn carriage industry to be an exploitative industry in which horses are forced to work in conditions tantamount to slavery.    The carriage industry endangers the lives of their own horses and profits from their suffering.      

 These animals scare and spook easily and yet are pulling heavy carriages through the noisy and congested city streets.  They are forced to work in extreme weather conditions;  they are forced to inhale exhaust fumes and, then after working up to 9 hours a day, 6 days a week, they are stalled and confined in small, dark and damp spaces in multi-storied warehouses! Again, this is inhumane treatment and as such is immoral.     

Even though their lives are in danger and the lives of pedestrians are in danger, even though there have been 21 serious horse-drawn carriage incidents in New York City between the years 1998 and 2007, even though there have been five horse deaths, even though there have been at least 18 human injuries, and even though the ASPCA agrees that it time to get these animals off our streets, this cruel operation of horse drawn carriages in New York city continues to operate.     

There can be no justification or sensible reason why this industry should be allowed to continue to mistreat these sentient beings, as they do, any longer.    

It is animal abuse and it must be stopped for the sake of these horses who do not have a choice.

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