Tuesday, January 26, 2010

None so blind

Take a look. You don't have to own horses or be a veterinarian to see that this is a problem, which is the gist of a comment on a YouTube video that shows New York City carriage horses. One commenter wrote: "Oh my god.. look at the bits in the horses mouth those are probably killing their mouths, they should use lighter bits." Indeed.
Video by YouTube member "PitytheHorses"

Saturday, January 23, 2010

Philadelphia, set them free!

It seems like "deju vu" seeing the video from a recent peaceful demonstration in Philadelphia. The miserable icy weather, the horses standing in the chill for hours, the driver enjoying a smoke inside the carriage while the horses get soaked with a freezing rain. Looks like New York City, to be sure. The Philadelphia activists and others around the world joined forces and staged peaceful demonstrations on December 5, a day of action sponsored by Horses Without Carriages International, the global initiative that seeks to ban the use of horse-drawn carriages. Learn more at HWCI.
The Philadelphia demonstration was staged by Pennsylvania Chapter of Friends of Animals.

Monday, January 18, 2010

A rising tide of protests against BLM


A first look at Sunday's protest in New York City against the Calico roundup of America's wild horses and burros...

Friday, January 15, 2010

This kind of help horses don't need

NYC protest Sunday, Jan. 17!
The courageous and self-possessed stallion who has been dubbed "Freedom" is now known around the world. He fought for and won the freedom that is his by law but under attack by the fiscally mismanaged Bureau of Land Management.

Thus, the BLM's unlawful and inhumane roundups of America's wild horses continue, and with tragic consequences. In addition to the deaths of foals and other horses during the roundup by helicopter, there are now approximately 32,000 horses in "holding pens." No shelter, no ground cover, no room to run freely. A how-to primer on cruelty. This video shows how lifeless the wild horses look after being confined in this miserable setting. And don't miss this updated and comprehensive humane observers' account (January 10, 2010) of Freedom's heartbreaking and glorious escape. Mares from his band tried to follow but could not make it. Heartbreaking. As the Cloud Foundation notes in its letter asking President Obama for a moratorium on these roundups, the government is already stockpiling more than 33,000 wild horses in government holding facilities at a cost to taxpayers of $100,000 a day. Make your voice heard--send a letter to President Obama asking for an immediate halt to the roundups, and demand an investigation of the mismanagement at the BLM. Let your lawmakers in Washington know of your unwavering support for an immediate halt on the roundups and hearings on the waste and mismanagement at the BLM. Visit the website of The Cloud Foundation for more information and action alerts.
New York City Action Alert! If you live in or near New York City, stand up for America's wild horses and burros on Sunday, January 17, 2010! Take part in a regional demonstration against the Calico roundups. The demo is from 1 pm to 3 pm at Columbus Circle in Manhattan (near the southwest edge of Central Park). Bring signs and plenty of passion! More information on this and other demos here.
From the archives of The Cloud Foundation: "The Roundup of the McCollough Peaks Wild Horse Herd"
WATCH "Disappointment Valley"