When the old Penn Station fell to the wrecking ball, narrow real estate interests were served, and our city became a little poorer in the process. We had traded in the noble and majestic for the drab and dreary. Once made, the error could not be undone. With carriage horses, we’re in danger of making a similar mistake. These beautiful creatures enrich us with their presence. Their rhythmic hoof beats tap out an echo of our shared history. Apart from the motives of real estate developers (always an engine of change in New York City), why would anyone want them gone? As a kid growing up in the city, the sight, sound and smell of a horse was a rare treat for the senses, a warm contrast to the surrounding cold glass, concrete and steel. When I joined the NYPD mounted unit in 1999, my respect for and love of horses only grew, as did my understanding of them. I was able to inform people that if a horse looks sad, it’s most likely because he has big dark eyes and a long face; it’s not an indication of what kind of day he’s having. And if a horse that’s standing still seems to be putting most of his weight on one leg or another, that’s no cause for alarm; we humans do the same thing. The arguments of those who wish to ban carriage horses from the city are so inane as to be laughable. Have you ever loved and admired something so much you’d like it to be cut out of your life altogether? Me neither... How sad is it, then, that now, when horses are finally receiving the best of care, some people want to sever the relationship? Carriage horse stables are subject to regular, unscheduled inspections by not just the ASPCA but also the NYPD mounted unit... The self-proclaimed horse lovers who would wish the carriage horses banned, are, in fact, wishing them dead. These flesh-and-blood creatures are unable to live in the idyllic pastures of someone’s imagination. So they’re likely to join the thousands of unwanted thoroughbreds who are sent abroad each year to be slaughtered for their meat... If the de Blasio administration succeeds in banning these horses, they will be gone forever. No sane developer would ever again gamble the millions needed to build a barn in Manhattan in the vain hope of attracting scores of experienced horses, and coachmen and women with their carriages. A whole industry, hundreds of jobs and an irreplaceable link to our past would be destroyed by the stroke of a pen. (Full article in the link below...)
Posted on: Fri, 05 Sep 2014 13:27:19 +0000
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