What Does the City Audit Say?

The horse-drawn carriage industry in New York City is inherently inhumane and cannot be made safer, chiefly because the horses must travel up to 4 miles a day in heavy traffic to and from their stables. Legislation to ban the industry has been introduced by Tony Avella. (Intro. 658/2007)

The city audit of the horse-drawn carriage industry in 2007 found that the horses have inadequate water, infrequent veterinary care, and must stand in their own waste--in short, a host of problems plague this troubled industry. The inconsistencies extend to record-keeping as well.

From the New York Times article on the Audit of Horse-Drawn Carriages (2007)
Audit language is invariably bland, cautious and inoffensive, but the comptroller’s report says — on the verge of snidely? ­– that “it would seem important for the [Department of Health] veterinarian to carefully review and compare the current information with the information on prior years’ certificates to ensure that horses are not being switched or that one license number is used for several horses.”

If you are new to this issue and weighing the evidence, please try to learn more about why this industry is inherently inhumane and should be banned.

Take a look at these resources:
Comptroller William C. Thompson's audit of the NYC horse-drawn carriage industry
"A litany of problems" found in the carriage industry (Times article, Sept. 6, 2007)
Why a Horse-Drawn Carriage Ban Is Necessary (Coalition to Ban Horse-Drawn Carriages)
Expert Opinion: Holly Cheever, DVM ("Vet: Carriage Horses Suffering," Feb. 26, 2008, METRO, New York)
"You Can Lead a Horse to Water, If There Is Any" (Elizabeth Forel, Feb. 21, 2008, METRO, New York)