Another Horse Drops in NYC

Written by Jennifer OConnor

Posted 12-06-2011

36 Comments

Update: Another horse collapsed in Hemet, California, after participating in a Christmas parade. The horse—who is now recovering—got spooked and took off down the street, running over the driver and striking light poles and parked cars before collapsing.

The following posted 12/5/2011

Another horse pulling a carriage fell to the street in New York City this weekend, and a spokesperson for the Horse and Carriage Association of New York admitted that it "is quite common" for horses to catch their hooves on uneven pavement.

Considering that four horses have now collapsed—and at least one has died—in New York City in the last six weeks, it is outrageous for the industry and city officials to continue to downplay the risks.

Please click here to ask the New York City Council to vote "Yes" on Intro 86A, which would replace living, breathing animals with eco-friendly antique cars, before any more horses collapse on the streets of New York.

Tags:

horses, carriages, horse drawn carriages, Intro 86A

Recent Comments

RDS commented:

12-9-2011 8:31 PM

I always hate to see horse drawn carriages. We now have at least one in my small city of Fort Myers, Florida. It is so wrong to profit from the misery of defenseless animals.
christiane prével commented:

12-8-2011 8:42 AM

I'm french! france is a shame for goose-feeding and corridas! horses carriages in NY is also! all maltreatments to the animals, in the whole world, is unbearable!!!
Naturalhorsemanship commented:

12-7-2011 7:16 PM

Oh wow, that sucks. =/
Liz commented:

12-7-2011 4:50 PM

@Jennifer. I read the story about the horse, Credit Card and it brought tears to my eyes. It absolutely evil what some people would do out of revenge, especially to an innocent creature. I can't, however, agree with your entire comment. Horses in the city are not happy beings. How could they be? They are tied to a heavy carriage day after day, in all weather conditions, on noisy, busy, traffic ridden streets; some go for long periods without food or water, with their hooves banging against hard pavement all day. It makes me wonder, have they ever been able to run? Have they ever been able to feel grass under their feet? To be outside without being tied to a cart and have blinders strapped to their faces? The city is no place for an animal that size, and while attention needs to be focused on those who wish to harm the innocent creatures of this world, forcing an animal into a loud and nervous environment is wrong on so many levels. These creatures deserve to be cared for and protected, not to be exploited and profited from. I mean no disrespect, everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but I hope you can understand that even though these animals aren't being brutalized like Credit Card, they are still being harmed in other ways.
Jennifer commented:

12-7-2011 11:01 AM

I have owned horses for 20 of my 25 years here on earth and do you know how many of them have tripped and fell with me on there backs?? every single one of them......it happens. Carriage horses are treated better than most horses in our country. You are worried about a well taken care of horse in NYC that has a job?? Why dont you worry about the poor family who is missing their "Credit Card".....that situation deserves PETAs attention. That poor horse "Credit Card" was shot, had its throat slit and cut up into small pieces to dispose of the body by a 19 year old girl in Arkansas......that is where our attention needs to be right now!!
BarrelRacer2526 commented:

12-6-2011 3:16 PM

Horses Don't always need to lay down to sleep! GET YOU FACTS RIGHT!!!!! And plus back in the old days the horses were used for working on farms and going in to town. Horses are not LAZY they need something to do unlike some of todays Kids!
Christine Desjarlais commented:

12-6-2011 12:25 PM

This is how the most powerfull country in the world treats man's second best friend...Scary
Liz commented:

12-6-2011 9:31 AM

A beautiful thing happened to me over the weekend... My boyfriend and I were in the city this past Saturday for a concert. We had a few hours to kill so we decided to take a walk in Central Park. As we approached the entrance to the park, we saw at least 5 or 6 horse drawn carriages lined up on the side of the road. We stopped by a food cart near the horses and what I saw and heard was unbelievable. Almost every single person that walked past the line up started booing and insulting the drivers! Even children were calling them mean and asking them why they hurt the horses. The utter disapproval of the carriages was incredible, and it didn't stop there! After our concert, we started walking back to Penn Station and low and behold, an empty carriage near a sidewalk. As we walked past the carriage, almost as if it had been rehearsed, everyone in the vicinity was booing! Not loud enough to startle the horse, but loud enough that it made the driver uncomfortable, because he quickly left. It amazed me how a group of strangers all stopped in their tracks to lightly protest what they were seeing. All were upset by the sight of these beautiful creatures standing out in the cold, waiting to drag a heavy cartful of fools around the noisy city. It makes me hopeful that the end of this cruel practice is coming. Seeing so many more people against horse drawn carriage than those who support is definitely a big deal!!
Xénia Edvinsson commented:

12-6-2011 8:31 AM

It is heartbreaking that this was allowed to happen! It is inhuman to treat these horses this way. Put a stop to horse-drawn carriages!!
SUSAN commented:

12-6-2011 6:52 AM

THIS IS WRONG AND UNCOMPASSIONATE TREATMENT OF HORSES!

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