Coalition to Ban Horse-Drawn Carriages

NEW YORK DAILY NEWS   
September 19, 2007 - Voice of the People  (7 letters)

Noise will be noise 
Glen Oaks: Regarding the latest death of a carriage horse: The answer lies not in banning street performers but in banning the horses. Sudden loud noises of all kinds are inherent in city living, and this will not change. (Would you banish ambulance sirens or fire engine horns?) The only sure way to prevent another poor animal's demise in the gutter is to once and for all get rid of this inhumane and dangerous industry.

Judy Purcell 

Out to pasture 
Florham Park, N.J.: The congestion, fumes from the cars, the aggressive driving - horses do not belong in New York City anymore. Retire them to a farm sanctuary. Let the tourists walk; it will do them good.

B. Sachau 

Poor thing 
Jericho, L.I.: Smoothie "was a nice, gentle horse. She would nuzzle. She was playful. She was special." And she certainly didn't deserve to die on the streets of New York! God bless precious Smoothie.

Elizabeth Ludwig 

Human factor - Manhattan: Next time a horse gets spooked, perhaps a bunch of tourists will be killed. Then maybe the city will see the light.

Jessica Jones

It's not romantic
Cooper City, Fla.: So many other cities have discontinued this archaic nonsense. When will New York get the message? How many more horses must suffer?

Ken Pelton

A family affair  
Bayside: A tragic freak accident results in a carriage horse dying, and the "humaniacs" ghoulishly leap into action to exploit it for their extremist agenda. We in the carriage business made phone calls to the owner and driver that night to offer our condolences. No doubt the humaniacs were burning up the lines, too - giddy with a rare opportunity to piggyback an uncommon event to vilify us, twist the facts and boost their next media event. Disgusting. We love and care for our horses, and no one mourns the loss of a carriage horse more than carriage people do.

Eva Hughes

Warwick, N.Y.: Carolyn Daly,  
a spokeswoman for the Horse & Carriage Association of New York, said, "These aren't just horses, these are their family." Uh-huh. The difference being: I wouldn't attach one of my family members to a carriage and drive it through New York City traffic to make a living - would you?

Linda Brink, Sunnyskies Bird & Animal Sanctuary.