New York weighs ban on Central Park carriages (wipe out 400 jobs during an economic crisis)

[Omaha Steve]

I'm torn on this. I believe in both labor and animal rights. If the animals are well taken care of, I say let the carriage business continue.


http://www.newsday.com/news/local/newyork/ny-nyhors0201,0,6682486.story

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
2:06 PM EST, January 31, 2009

New Yorkers are split over what to do about 220 of the city's most beloved urban animals -- the carriage horses that offer rides through Central Park.

"Set them free!" shouted horse advocates in front of City Hall on Friday during the first public hearing on a proposed ban on the horses and their carriages.

Carriage drivers say the animals are well cared for and happy, and that the legislation would needlessly wipe out 400 jobs during an economic crisis.

"Please, help me keep my job," begged Kierman Emanus, a driver and representative of Teamsters Local 553, during he hearing chaired by the city's Department of Consumer Affairs. He said the carriage business feeds his family.

Council member Tony Avella, a Queens Democrat, proposed banning the carriages two years ago after a spooked horse raced through the streets and crashed into a car. It had to be euthanized. Since then, Avella said three more animals have died.

FULL story at link.

[InvisibleTouch]

1. Banning them would be a mistake, IMO.

As long as the horses are well taken care of and well-trained to work in the city, removing them would do more harm than good. If they're no longer earning a living offering carriage rides, what happens to them? Can the owners still afford to keep them? Working animals who are loved and respected by their owners generally take pride in their work. Take that away from them, and they have what? An uncertain future and possibly a sad fate, if they end up being shipped away to parts unknown.

The interaction between horse and human, especially in such an artificial environment as a big city, can only be beneficial to both species. If we cut off people's contact with other species more and more, there's less and less incentive to care about anyone other than oneself.

It's sad when a horse dies due to an accident as described above, but that kind of thing can happen anywhere - in a riding stable, on a trail ride, on rangeland, even. Life carries some risk, no matter what, and all we can do is try to minimize it as much as possible. We'll never be rid of it entirely.

[alexandria]

4. Humans and horses always worked together.

If we ban them in NY,it will end up that the only place you can see a horse will be in a zoo.
I would have thought the greenies are having a fit now and would defend the horses.
I guess not..

[defendandprotect]

6. Is enslaving a horse to unfit labor "defending them" . . . ??? No--!!

We've pretty much destroyed all animal-life ---

and I think we're right now killing the last of the wild herds!

Let's ban this vile treatment of the horses and move them on to a fit retirement.

[sabbat hunter]

2. Compromise.

Limit the carriage rides to Central Park and keep them off the city streets. Right now they can go both in the park and in the streets (which is when you have the problems with horses getting spooked)

[Submariner]

3. Those horses have a miserable life

They are winded hauling weight around on hot or freezing city pavements. A sad and pathetic existence that should be retired to our history books.

[defendandprotect]

5. They should be banned ---

the animals are poorly treated -- exposed to traffic --- miserable conditions ---

inside and outside of park and towing humans and carriage and driver!

And even in stables, conditions are very poor.

We need some better ideas on this --


These horses should be suitably retired.*

We can probably find a way to keep drivers working -- I don't think these are the owners?

I think the owners of the horses hire drivers...isn't that correct?



* This doesn't always happen ... you know, grassy fields -- someone laying out the hay for you.

I recall seeing a video of one of these horses, if I recall correctly, being put down -- but

the way they did it was to have a machine DRIVE A NAIL THRU THE HORSES BRAIN!! and the

first time it was just a great rap on the head which disoriented the horse and then the second

try at the kill!!!! Don't take anything for granted in humane treatment of animals even in 2009!!!

[mopinko]

7. save the carriages!

there is a vocal minority that feels like these horses are unhappy. they have a job. would you be happy if you didn't have a job? would there even be horses if they didn't have jobs? answer- no.
do you love everything about your job? is there any risk involved in your job?
and sadly, when a horse is badly injured, it is euthanized. the physics of the situation is that at this point in history, we still can't fix broken horses. and all horses die. (just like all people. whodathunkit.)

here in chicago, there have been many battles about the carriages that we have. but by an overwhelming majority, people have voted with their dollars. they love to take a carriage ride. it is a great tourist activity.

i suspect that this will blow over. but really, so few animals have jobs any more. dogs, horses... it is a different world. i think we should keep this little bit of the old world as long as people support it. horses used to have it a whole lot worse.