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COALITION TO
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COALITION TO
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CARRIAGE HORSES
PULLING IN THE REINS: HORSE-DRAWN DRAMA (two letters) Published in the New York Post, Letters to the Editor, January 7, 2006 Let's make a resolution to ban carriage horses in 2006 ("Carriage Horse Hits Car," Jan. 3). It was the second night of the new year when a frightened horse bolted through Midtown for blocks before skidding on the wet concrete and crashing into a car. The buggy driver is in critical condition; the two car passengers are in stable condition, but the horse's life was ended. Horrified pedestrians described the horse as "going crazy," and it ended up wrapped around the car, rear legs on top of the vehicle, head on the ground. Is this tragedy a shocker? No, it's the inevitable result of forcing horses to work in New York City for a tourist attraction that should not exist in this age. London, Paris and Toronto bar carriage horses, and with good reason. Let New York City do the same, and make this tradition a relic of the past. Edita Birnkrant The carriage-horse accident only proves, once again, that there is no place for this decrepit and dangerous industry in a crowded city atmosphere. The carriage driver, who was thrown about 10 feet after the collision, was in critical condition and the police said that it was lucky there were no passengers in the carriage. However, the unfortunate horse was trapped under the car. The smoke and exhaust fumes from urban traffic are dangerous for horses. And, because they are constantly walking and standing on hard streets, lameness and hoof deterioration are often inevitable. Weather conditions often prove fatal for working horses. Carriage horses are exposed to bitter cold and scorching hot temperatures, and as we can see here, there is quite a lot of room for error and mistakes. More people need to get involved for the horses, and soon. Jason Williams Return to Letters
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