Lea Michele Exposes Horse-Drawn Carriage Cruelty

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Glee actor Lea Michele is raising her voice against the cruelty of horse-drawn carriages. In a shocking undercover video, Lea exposes the harsh conditions that these overworked horses are subjected to—all day, every day. The native New Yorker also posed with a rescued horse for a gorgeous PETA ad to help spread the message that horses don't belong in traffic.

"Imagine for a moment that you're forced to do hard physical labor all day, seven days a week—whether it's sweltering hot or freezing cold outside," Lea says. "At the end of the day, instead of relaxing on [an] easy chair or sleeping in a comfortable bed, you are locked in a tiny closet all night long." This tortured life is a sad reality for the horses who are used to pull carriages.

During their workday, these horses are forced into dangerous traffic, where they develop respiratory ailments from inhaling exhaust fumes and debilitating leg problems from pounding the hard pavement. They constantly weave between cars and are often spooked by loud noises on the streets. As a result, accidents sometimes occur in which many horses and people are seriously injured or even killed. When not working, these horses are confined to cramped stalls in which they are unable to turn around, stretch their legs, or even lie down comfortably. Don't get taken for a ride. Join Lea and countless others in boycotting horse-drawn carriages!

For more information and to take action, please visit NY-Class.org.

Watch Lea's video exposé now, and click here to see an exclusive behind-the-scenes interview from her PETA photo shoot.

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Recent Comments

CRB commented:

2-21-2012 11:08 PM

Okay, seriously people? Anyone who keeps talking about the horses only giving rides in Central Park, you are WRONG. Maybe that's the case in NEW YORK CITY, but I'm in Boston right now and I've seen at least FIVE horse and carriages in the course of three days IN THE STREET in real, honest to God TRAFFIC. I've seen it in other places, too like Breckenridge, Colorado so don't go talking about how the video is lying, because just because it doesn't happen in New York doesn't mean that's the case everywhere and clearly you don't know what you are saying.
mtbieker commented:

2-16-2012 12:01 AM

I'm not completely convinced. The horses work during the day and get exercise and come home to sleep in an apartment. That's not the best life, but not that damn much different from lots of other people. and a hell of a lot better than lots of other animals who actually COULD use a movie star to promote their cause. Dairy Cows, Chickens, Hogs are all kept inside 24 HOURS a day in tiny stalls. For god's sake do something for them.
Emily commented:

12-29-2011 2:10 AM

Instead of trying to eliminate numerous jobs for people and animals I believe we should be looking for a way to protect the horses and the economy. Yes their current living conditions are horrible, but these horses aren't going to be anymore comfortable in a slaughterhouse. Which is most likely where they will end up when their current owners need money after you take away their jobs. I pray we handle this wisely and have the foresight to protect the future of all involved in this industry.
tachuam commented:

12-14-2011 8:45 AM

IT's a nightmare in Africa to compagnon animals . They are abused and there is no ethical way to protect them.The causes of such behaviour is surely the lack of éducation to youngers and adults.An assosiation like PETA, if we have a branch here in Africa,especially in Cameroon,IT would help to change people's behaviour
Heather Griffin commented:

12-13-2011 6:24 AM

Do any of you people commenting live in NYC? If so please visit the horses stables that are 4 floors high and see the nasty filth that they live in. I'm being serious...they are located on 53rd street between 11th Ave and West End. If you could see the way they live and the conditions that they have to put up with there is not way you couldn't think this is animal abuse!
Mikie_Mike commented:

12-13-2011 3:37 AM

Lea Michele is Hot enough to sell me her story. where do i sign up for saving the poor horses?
Katie commented:

12-12-2011 11:19 PM

I have horses and believe that they are highly intelligent animals and I understand the cause. However, my question is what would these horses be doing if they weren't working as carriage horses? I assume people viewing this video who are not familiar with the horse industry believe that these horses would be in a huge grassy pasture grazing luxuriously but unfortunately most horses don't have this opportunity! Would the carriage horses be in worse conditions if they didn't have a job? We see abuse cases each month where horses are left in barns because people can't feed them or horses are sent to slaughter when they get to a certain age, is this any better? We have to look at animal welfare issues from both perspectives and evaluate whether these horses would be, not could be, but would be in a better welfare setting if they weren't used to pull carriages!
Punkassprincess* commented:

12-12-2011 10:48 PM

Horses are a living species just like us and we should respect them, don't abuse them it's a privilege to have horses in this world don't take advantage of them. If you do there just going to be another extinct species in our planet.
Margo commented:

12-12-2011 8:24 PM

i never realized how harshly they were trated thank you for sohwing me this and for helping me open my eyes to animal cruelty! :(
: ((((( to horse drawn carriages commented:

12-12-2011 4:53 PM

Ok, ben. I just want to say that is probably the most horrible thing i've ever read. Animals are animals and they are close to humans. they still have a life that people should care about. It is people like you who are probably abusing animals today. What your saying is not right at all and is deeply offending.
suzie irene commented:

12-12-2011 4:34 PM

ive always been against the horse carriages. horses are not only my favorite animals but they are meant to be beautiful animals. not run down, sick, and forced to work a job that can kill them. this year in the christmas parade i found out santa was going to be pulled on a horse carriage and i tried to get them to change their minds. its hard to be heard when your alone but with a group like this they will have to hear us.!
Karen commented:

12-12-2011 3:37 PM

Qow. I never realized that. I went to NYC this spring and before I would take a ride, I asked them how they were treated-- They told me they had nice stalls, had a day off every weak, monthly vet visits... etc etc... I feel kind of dumb now for believing it... They should at least rotate them out, and keep them somewhere else for part of the time! With a big open field...
IHatePeta commented:

12-12-2011 2:09 PM

You know, Horses have been trained well to do this, some horses may just be too old to do it. Horses are used to do a lot of work in canada, and the states, whether you believe its healthy or not, too bad, it is healthy, its good for excersize and that stuff. I live in canada and love to see horses working, they seem happy at what their doing.
ella commented:

11-7-2011 1:37 PM

to Ben: Horses speak too. You're probably too arrogant to notice because they don't speak English. you obviously haven't taken the time to learn their language, but that in no way means that it doesn't exist. furthermore, even if you refuse to accept that animals deserve respect despite their not being human, by your own argument that humans are better than animals, wouldn't we then have a responsibility to take proper care of them rather than exploit them for our own selfish greed?
Babs commented:

11-7-2011 12:36 PM

I've been to NYC last year and I saw these exhausted animals with my own eyes. How anyone thinks that this cruel torture can somehow be romantic, is beyond my understanding.
Ashleigh commented:

11-7-2011 3:50 AM

Ben, how would you like it if YOU were treated like these horses?? Just because they act different to us doesn't mean they don't have feelings.
Josie commented:

11-6-2011 10:56 PM

To the people that are saying this is perfectly fine, and this isn't animal abuse, you are sadly mistaken. Yes, horses do stand sleeping up right because their legs lock. Leg room in a stall isn't the issue, there's just not enough room period. How would you like it if you had to stand in a cage where you couldn't even turn around. It's not comfortable. Regardless if the horses are in heavy traffic or not, the cement isn't good for their hooves. It hurts them. Breathing in all the fumes isn't good for a human, it's bad to ingest all that gross and grimy muck, so why the heck would it be any better for a horse. Because the horses are in a building, that makes it difficult to escape if there is a fire, and their bedding isn't good either. They're sitting in their own waste. So yes, this is a REAL abuse case first off because if it weren't I doubt PETA would be supporting this if it weren't and second, it is abuse because these horses are suffering. Those conditions sure as heck aren't something I'd want to be in.
Amy commented:

11-6-2011 7:13 PM

Remy - Yes, horses sleep standing up, but they only require about 2 hours of it. The rest of the time they stand in their stalls, wanting to move around, but can't. If the carriage horses are only in central park, then why are the horses dying being found in the middle of busy streets? They go through heavy traffic to get to their routes, breathing in the fumes. Yes people are also exposed to it, but they're not standing directly behind it, heavily breathing it in for extended periods of time like the horses are. Also its not the hay that makes the stalls a death trap, its the improper, multiple leveled buildings. Barn fires happen across the United States because of flammable hay, but many times majority of horses are saved because of the one level design of barns. And steep inclines would be great exercise for horses, except that they make them go up and down them after they've gotten little rest and after they've already been heavily exercised. And since they're on poor diets, exercise is the last thing their bodies need. If you're so against animal abuse, then you should be against this as well, because it IS abuse. Stop trolling, and do something.
Lexi commented:

11-6-2011 7:13 PM

Every time I see this video i cry. You can see the pain and sadness in the horses face and even in Lea's face. It's a shame that they have to go through this every day. Horse have feelings to just like all of us.
SaGa commented:

11-6-2011 1:57 PM

Truth is that horses, like so many other animals, are treated in a cruel way. But the solutions is NOT eliminating the use you can give to the animal, but knowing how to treat them right. Horses are domestic animals and now a days they need of us as much as we need of them. Sorry for my english but im from South America, where animals like horses and donkeys are used as a one and only mean of transportation in some communities. We all need to learn and teach others how to treat animals... theres no point in breeding horses to watch them run freely... seriously

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