...The foundation for this campaign is mostly fantasy and persistent accusation. It seems that a millionaire real estate developer named Steve Nislick decided about 10 years ago, and quite abruptly, with no evidence or scientific support of any kind, that it was abuse for working horses to pull light carriages on flat ground on asphalt in New York City, and in Central Park. He campaigned fruitlessly for years, and then he gave a truckload of money to Bill deBlasio, who was running for mayor two years ago and who suddenly embraced Nislicks very extreme idea about the welfare of horses. Suddenly, an idea that seemed ludicrous – banning healthy and secure horses in the city – became a serious reality. The idea that the horses pose a risk to public safety is fatuous. No human has ever been killed by a carriage horses in the industrys 150-year history, the horses are the safest form of transportation in the city by far, according to police and state statistics. New York City has the power to regulate public transportation, but it is not clear if they can legally shut down an industry that is obeying all of the rules, without cause or foundation...There is, in fact, no credible evidence that the horses are at risk, are being mistreated, or are a danger to people. The industry is already heavily regulated and is operating safely and profitably... The carriage trade has a long and growing list of trainers, behaviorists, veterinarians, journalists and horse owners and breeders eager to testify that the carriage horses are safe, healthy and well treated. The animal rights groups have severely damaged their own credibility – and would, I think, fare poorly in any court – with claims and accusations that have repeatedly been exposed as distorted or exaggerated, and in some cases, simply false... At first, the city and the animal rights groups claimed the horses were being abused. That allegation was refuted by one equine group, policing agency and veterinarian after another. Then, there was the claim that the horses are suffering in the fumes of New York City, but that claim has also been undercut by examinations of the horses, which find them to be free of illness or disease. In fact, no carriage horse on record has been known to suffer or die from respiratory disease. Now, one of the mayors strongest allies – City Council President Melissa Mark-Viverito, (she says she knows about horses because she has a rescue cat) claims there is a movement towards a new kind of tourism, and that is why the horses must be banished and replaced by $160,000 vintage eco-friendly electric cars. This, she says, is inevitable, no matter what the tourists and the public think. But the carriage horses are immensely popular and no tourist on record has ever sought their removal or asked for vintage electric cars to replace them. I imagine – this is not scientific, just my guess – that there is not a tourist, lover, animal friend, or child on the planet who would seek to ban the horses for a new kind of tourism that no one has asked for, and that forces them into electric cars in Central Park... The carriage trade is learning how to fight back. They deserve great compassion for their suffering and the cruelty shown them, and understanding of their clannishness and caution. They are not media warriors, they are not political people.They need and deserve protection from a government that seems to advance freedom only when it suits their political interests... (Full article in the link below...)
Posted on: Wed, 05 Nov 2014 01:23:30 +0000
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