Source: NBCNewYork.com
The days of the horse-drawn carriage in New York City are galloping to a close.
Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio said Monday that he would make good on a campaign promise to end the practice in Central Park.
“We are going to get rid of the horse carriages. Period,” de Blasio said at a press conference introducing new schools chancellor Carmen Farina.
Activists have long condemned the horse-carriage as cruel and outdated. De Blasio left little doubt about where he stands on the issue that divides many New Yorkers and inflames passion on both sides.
“We are going to quickly and aggressively move to make horse carriages no longer a part of the landscape in New York City,” de Blasio said. “They are not humane. They are not appropriate to the year 2014. It’s over.” …(CONTINUED)
Click (HERE) to read the story in it’s entirety and to comment at NBC New York
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Categories: Horse News
Straight from the Horse's Heart 
WHOOHOO!! Great work ARA’s!!!
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Why get rid of something that attracts tourists and provides a service. Just make the horses are well cared for!
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It is a shame that a tradition in New York has to end , all because of mans cruelty….. i f they could have treated the Horses with respect and caring this would not be happening, there are very few things more beautiful and romantic then a carriage driven by a magnificent horse……. But because of GREED and Uncaring cruelty this must stop , shame on these people who cannot respect the Beauty that is before them !!!!!! I have figured out that if people who had the facilities to to care and house 4 horses , we would not be here fighting for their lives…………….. I am saddened and ashamed of mankind that cannot respect Pure Innocent beauty and embrace it for what it is……………….. An Honor and a Privilege!!!!!! to be able to give back to the horses what they have given to us without any reservations !!!!!!!!!!!!!! SHAME !!!!!! New York plans on replacing them with Antique cars , I remember a movie that someone replaced their horses with Antique cars only to replace those cars with Horses again Seabiscuit one of Horse Racing Greats, a Horse who Healed and brought together 3 people, not to mention the thrills he gave to thousands………… Tomorrow New Years day i will be watching every horse movie i have( I believe i have every movie ever made in their Honor !!!!, gearing up to do everything possible to FREE the Horses ;;;;;;;;;;;;; After watching these i will be so PUMPED UP , stand aside for the FREEDOM ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, Like many of us here i didn t come here to talk I came here with one out come Freedom for the Mustangs !!!!
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The best news to start the New Year, bit by bit, step by step.
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My “guess” – and that is all it is – is that there are many who care for their horses and do everything to insure that they are healthy, etc. – but that there are undoubtedly some who care only about the dollar and not the horse – and they are the ones who have brought this about… So very sad.
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People just don’t get it! There are about 300 big horses in NYC who are alive right now only because they have jobs. They are owned by individuals, not by the city, so their final fate lies in the hands of their owners. When the horses no longer have value as carriage horses, they will be sold at auction. They are big and expensive to house, feed, and care for, so no one is going to keep their stable of carriage horses forever out of the goodness of their hearts. There is not a big market for draft horses any more, so most of the horses that are sold will be purchased by kill buyers- who love the big, meaty drafts since they’re paid by the pound by the slaughter houses. Those kill buyers will load those horses in trucks and ship them to Canada, where they will be slaughtered. They will end up on the plates of Europeans. Closing down these businesses is a DEATH SENTENCE for the working horses of NYC! (I can see the horses from my NYC apt. window. I’m also an equine appraiser, and have inspected these horses up close and personally for several years. 95% of them are happy, healthy, and are bonded to their stable mates- who they’ll be torn away from when sold off.)
If deBlasio really cared about horses- and not just public grandstanding- he’d find a way to close the carriage businesses down very slowly, so that as a horse retired, it wasn’t replaced- so that finally there was only one remaining. It would be honored and celebrated, and a statue erected in its honor. That process would take about ten years, and would result in a win-win situation for horses, owners, and wild eyed activists who know so little about horses that they think that a horse standing with an ankle cocked has a broken leg! Only three horses have died or been killed on the streets of NYC in 30 years. That is NOT a bad record. People who really do want to SAVE the NYC horses form a terrible fate will fight Bill deBlasio all the way to the barn door on this!
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Dear Elaine, I have to agree with You , just as closing of Horse Racing fix it dont close it where are all these beauties going to go ???????? A Slaughter House??? when over 90% of all the owners , trainers and grooms absolutely love their Horses, it isnt wise to shut it down,makes more sense to FIX IT !!!!!!!!!
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I agree with you also. It should NOT be shut done in one chop of the ax. It should be shut down slowly, as you stated. As one horse goes into retirement, it should not be replaced. Otherwise they will end up in the slaughter house. AND THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT WE ARE FIGHTING SO HARD AGAINST. So thank you Elaine.
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I have to say I agree, Elaine. I think that probably this is another “cruelty cry” from people who have no idea about the care & health of horses. Like most animals having a job gives them a life. Hearing about your appraisal of these horses directly where they live validates my opinion. Seems to me this new mayor should do some active research rather than take the opinion of “activists”. Frankly there are so many actual inhumane acts done against horses & other animals – they could put their activism to better use, right?
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Disagree. If you want to correct a problem, any problem, you don’t do that by allowing the problem to exist. Horse drawn carriages are a PROBLEM in NYC. If you are so blind that you can’t see that, then I feel sorry for you! There is no way that horses can continue to LIVE and THRIVE in that city! As for the ultimate fate of the horses, these will be adopted and rescued and yes, some will go to slaughter. But does this mean we should condemn future horses to the same fate? NOOOOO! It’s about time horses are set free from the slavery they have endured for years and years and future horses will NOT suffer this fate. DOWN with the carriages!!!!!
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Elaine Nash: The owner’s care of his horse is one thing, but how do you take care of the fumes the horses breath in every day; how do you ‘stop’ a horse from being ‘spooked’ running wild and then being killed by a car; how do you help a horse forced to work in hot weather especially when tourists come to town. . I have seen photos of NYC carriage horses who have died from having been spooked and hit by a car. I suggest all you ‘shut down the carriage horse industry trade’ people be one of the horses who will have to wait 10 years to be free. Ten years!! Why don’t you call the group who started to voice for a shutdown (NYClass, I believe); call the ASPCA and see what they’re up to for these horses; call the Mayor’s office and see what the plans are. How nice of all of you sitting comfortably in front of your computers to decide that the last horse should wait 10 years before being free. Oh, yeah! What about the 5% of horses that are not happy?
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Rita,
Did you read what Elaine Nash DOES as an equine appraiser? That’s active, hands on appraisal. Yes there are horses that don’t receive good care – but all over this country there are horses being hauled to slaughter! That doesn’t sound like happy to me. That’s an opportunity to be vocal & complain to your politicians and help other horse advocates to stop it. Because there are worse brutalities being done to our horses. Neither I nor most of the people who comment here “sit comfortably in front of our computers” & do nothing else about it.
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