(CNN) -- Horses have been pulling passenger carriages on New York City streets since 1858,
50 years before the Ford Model T was introduced, and there's no arguing they've been an
iconic feature of the city's culture. But as society evolves, so do its standards. When traditions
become unacceptable, we don't stick to them simply to keep money coming in. We make new
ones.There is no better example of an obsolete and unacceptable tradition than New York
City's horse-drawn carriage rides. In the 21st century, using horses to pull heavy loads of
tourists through congested city streets is unnatural, unnecessary and an undeniable strain on
the horses. And that strain is not restricted to the streets.
The stables to which these horses return -- former tenement buildings -- do not afford horses
a paddock for turnout, the ability to graze or the freedom to roll and run.
That's why, as an organization that's fought for humane treatment of horses since our founding
in 1866, we think it's time to end horse-drawn carriage rides, a position firmly and bravely
backed by New York City's new mayor, Bill de Blasio. "We're going to get rid of horse carriages,
period," the mayor said two days before taking office.
Matt Bershadker
No counterargument stands up to the sheer absurdity of this antiquated practice, though many
who profit from it keep trying.
Opposite view: Keep the beloved New York carriage rides
A carriage driver and industry spokesperson recently told CNN that only "two different sides"
are arguing this issue: "the people that know about horses, and people who just look at the
horses and give their first impression based on something they read on the Internet."
That statement indicates a deliberate ignorance that serves neither the horses nor the truth.
There are many perspectives on this issue, but because these carriages are profit-driven as
well as horse-driven, the paramount question is "What's in the best interest of the horses?"
And is the answer more likely to come from a group dedicated to animal rescue and protection
or from horse carriage drivers teaming up with a St. Louis-based PR firm that says it is fighting
"radical animal rights extremists" to protect industry?
Are the concerns about lost jobs legitimate? Absolutely.
We share those concerns and encourage new ideas to address them. But using fear over facts
and paper-thin arguments to sway this debate is irresponsible.
Here's a sampling of the most ridiculous points suggested by the carriage horse industry and
others in the media:
Carriage horses have ample "vacation time."
This may come as news to some, but horses don't understand the idea of workplace benefits.
Time off is no defense if the time on is degrading. And another key difference: If you don't like
your job, you can quit.
These horses' nine-hour shifts, pulling vehicles weighing hundreds of pounds through
bumper-to-bumper traffic on hard pavement, go on without regard to their natural inclinations or
overall well-being.
The presence of police horses means the use of carriage horses is appropriate.
Police horses serve a public service. Carriage horses exist for personal profit. That's the
difference between necessary and unnecessary. Yes, they're both horses -- just like police
officers and ticket scalpers are both humans -- but their roles could not be more different.
It should also be noted that New York Police Department Mounted Unit horses and officers
undergo months of specialized training, while New York City carriage horse drivers must simply
attend a two-day course and have a valid driver's license.
Horses share our environment: If it's good enough for us, it's good enough for them.
Humans can get off the street, go inside, sit down and generally leave pollutants, noise, potholes
and traffic behind. Horses don't have that luxury.
Not only that, but the official training manual for horse-drawn carriage operators cautions drivers
that horses are naturally alarmed by -- among other things -- brightly colored traffic lines,
manhole covers, potholes, motorcycles, ambulance and police sirens, barking dogs, and noisy
crowds. Sound like any city you know?
The number of carriage horse violations and accidents is insignificant.
The ASPCA has issued more than 230 summonses to carriage operators since 2007. But just
one dangerous incident or violation is one too many. In one of many stories of these animals
panicking, a mare named Smoothie was spooked and bolted onto the sidewalk where she died
of shock in 2007. In December, a carriage horse operator was arrested and charged with animal
cruelty for working a horse that was visibly injured.
Incidents such as these shouldn't be tolerated, especially when the practice is so unnecessary.
And New York City still needs carriage horses like it still needs subway tokens.
If the practice ends, the horses will be destroyed or abandoned.
We hear this false forecast all too often. Many rescue organizations and shelters are ready and
willing to find and open homes to these horses, if their owners allow it. The ASPCA will gladly
get involved to help find and facilitate humane options for any horse in need of placement.
But by no means does life as a carriage horse ensure the animal won't eventually be killed for
profit. When their useful days are done, they may well be sent to auctions where buyers are often
looking for American horses to ship to Canada or Mexico for slaughter and human consumption
overseas. This debate is a conversation New York City needs to have. But it should happen in a
context ofhard truth, not hyperbolic bias. New Yorkers deserve that. And so do the animals with
whom they share the city.
We applaud efforts clearly in motion to take these horses off city streets, pushing both them and
New York itself into a more civilized future that should be welcomed, not feared.
No
OR
Yes Matt Bershadker VS Stephen Malone
★Keep New York's beloved carriage rides
Yes ! Stephen Malone NYC Carriage rides
Editor's note: Stephen Malone has been a horse-drawn carriage operator for 26 years.
He and his carriage led the St. Patrick's Day Parade in 2011 and appeared in the movies
"Eloise at the Plaza," "Eloise at Christmastime"
and "Crazy Eyes," among others. He is spokesman for the Horse and Carriage Association
of New York.
(CNN) -- Before he came to this country in summer 1964, my father never could have
envisioned the tradition he would create in America. He came here from Louth Village,
County Louth, in the midlands of Ireland to follow my mother, who had come here on a job
search.
My father stumbled upon the horse and carriages on Central Park South and hit the jackpot.
He was a third-generation blacksmith and went to work immediately as the stable hand and
blacksmith to the carriage trade. He would work all day, fixing problems with the carriages
and then shoeing horses.
The stable owner allowed him to drive a carriage on weekends to earn extra pay. He worked
like this until 1967, when he purchased his first carriage. This is the origin of my family
tradition. The horse and carriages have put the bread and butter on my family's table since
1967 and I intend on keeping it that way for years to come.
The iconic carriage industry is a big part of what makes New York special. We are a gateway
to enjoying the city, providing a slow-paced tour of Central Park, the greatest park in the
world. We carry visitors from all over, providing them with a memory that lasts a lifetime. In my
26 years driving a carriage, I have participated in hundreds and hundreds of engagements,
weddings, anniversaries, proms, birthdays, movies, TV commercials and sitcoms -- and
provide a special moment for all my regular customers.
I am the proud owner of two draft horses -- Tyson, an 11-year-old Morgan and Percheron cross,
and Jokinson, a 7-year-old Percheron mare. Tyson is my "lead" horse, which means he is my
best horse. Draft horses such as mine and the others used in the carriage trade have been born
and bred, for centuries, to pull loads.
On average, my horses work alternate days, so they generally work three to four days a week.
I have owned many horses in my 26 years in the business and have never been involved in an
accident nor have any of my horses been seriously injured.
The horses that pull the carriages are treated exceedingly well. The stables themselves are
open to inspection 365 days a year. The Department of Health inspects them four times a year,
and the New York Fire Department conducts an inspection at least once a year. Every horse
gets checkups from a licensed New York state veterinarian and a minimum of five weeks out of
the city to pasture. If a horse goes across state lines he must be seen by a vet before leaving
and before returning. Our industry wants transparency when it comes to our horse care.
We welcome it.
In 2010, the Carriage Operators of North America invited Harry Werner, an equine veterinarian
and former head of the American Association of Equine Practitioners, to check out the horses'
working and living environments in New York. He says he and other veterinarians paid their own
way and found clean stalls, excellent veterinary care and food, and no inhumane conditions or
neglect. He told The New York Times recently that the "demeanor of the horses was, to a one,
that of a contented horse."
There are 68 licensed carriages, 220 licensed horses and about 300 licensed drivers, of which
160 are employed. The carriage industry has 144 pages of regulations that cover everything from
where we can operate to how much insurance we should carry. The industry is monitored by five
agencies: the ASPCA, Health Department, Mounted Police division of the NYPD, Department of
Consumer Affairs and the Parks Department
On January 1, the new mayor of New York was sworn in to office determined to end my beloved
industry, one that is also loved by New Yorkers and people all over the world. Mayor Bill de Blasio
believes there is no place in New York City for horse drawn carriages and wants to replace them
with antique-style cars. He says the business is inhumane, but has flat-out refused to see how the
horses are treated or meet with the men and women who work with them.
Members of Teamsters Local 553 union have extended an open invitation to him and City Council
Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito to visit and see for themselves how the industry works, and to this
date they have declined.
There are horse and carriage rides available in many U.S. cities: Chicago, Philadelphia, New
Orleans, Salt Lake City, Honolulu, Boston and Charleston, South Carolina, are just a few. Horse
people around the world are watching to see what happens here in the next few months. Banning
the practice in New York could set a precedent that would put hundreds of people out of work.
I will fight the ban.
We have a legitimate, thriving, well-regulated industry. It is 99% walk-up: People love the chance
to get up close and pet a beautiful horse in an urban environment. The horse is the star.
That special experience can't be replaced with an electric car.
please treat the horses with respect..its heartbreaking the way they are treated
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