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)

Clearing the Air

New York City carriage horses lead a true nose-to-tailpipe existence, and equine veterinarians have detailed the ways in which this compromises the health of horses. Worse still, the horses get little respite in their stables, where the air quality is also poor.

Poor air quality is common in all horse stables. A full 25% to 80% of stabled horses devleop neutrophilic airway inflammation, a disorder caused by a type of white blood cell that helps kill and digest microorganisms. The average barn or stable has levels of airborne particulates that are "off the chart,"according to Melissa R. Mazan, DVM, a faculty member at the Tufts University School of Medicine and a diplomat of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine. "It is difficult to persuade trainers and owners that there might be anything wrong with a barn," she explained. "Hard data can be worth a thousand words."

Learn more about air quality in stables.
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New York's carriage horse stables are dirty places with steep ramps that the horses must climb. The stalls are cramped, and the horses often stand in their own waste--just as they do outside of Central Park. Conditions cannot be made safer for New York carriage horses, who travel to and from their stables every day in city traffic. Please support Intro. 658, a bill to ban horse-drawn carriages.

Examine the evidence. NYC carriage horses don't get enough water and receive only infrequent veterinary care. Read the full city audit of the New York City carriage horse industry.

Urge your Council Member to co-sponsor Intro. 658 in support of a full ban. Respectfully ask for a response.

Traffic and Other Risks to Carriage Horses

New York City carriage horses must travel up to 2 miles each way in heavy traffic to and from their cramped and dirty stables. And it certainly is true that this city never sleeps.

An equally serious health risk is colic--the #1 cause of death in horses. More than $115 million a year is spent on costs associated with loss of use, treatment, and death resulting from colic.

Unfortunately for New York's carriage horses, the risk of potentially deadly colic is higher for horses who do not have turnout and don't get adequate water--conditions that were observed among NYC carriage horses and described in the 2007 city comptroller's audit of the horse-drawn carriage industry.

Eating at irregular intervals or eating poorly (ie, grains) are known to contribute to equine colic, and stall confinement also contributes to a horse's risk of developing colic--the presumptive cause in the February 2008 death of Clancy, an 8-year-old New York City Carriage horse. The city health department refused to disclose the cause of Clancy's death, forcing the ASPCA to file a Freedom of Information Act to obtain the records.

Learn more about appropriate care of horses
Read about the inconsistencies that were revealed in the city audit of the industry (2007)
Agencies entrusted with oversight have "dropped the ball" (City Comptroller William C. Thompson as quoted by The New York Times, Sept. 6, 2007)
Humane Society of the United States: Latest death underscores importance of a ban (Feb. 14, 2008)
American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) supports a ban (December 2007)
Why a ban on horse-drawn carriages is needed: Coalition to Ban Horse-Drawn Carriages

Seven Months Later, Where's the Water?

For some people the New York City comptroller's audit of the carriage industry last summer was the first they'd heard of the substandard care of the horses. As we know, and as the audit revealed to the public, the city has largely abandoned its responsibility to the horses. The report by Comptroller William C. Thompson chronicled the abuses: The horses don't have adequate drinking water, even in sweltering summer heat. They are forced to stand in their own waste. No turnout, either. Lax veterinary care was cited, as were infrequent inspections that create health hazards.

Seven months later, where is the water? The horses' need for water is critical year-round, but the troughs in Central Park are turned off. Sometimes after a storm they're icy--and sometimes they're used as trash receptacles.

Elizabeth Forel, president of the Coalition to Ban Horse-Drawn Carriages, writes in New York Metro of this lapse, which represents a violation of New York state anti-cruelty laws and a serious lapse in judgment. Regardless of your opinion on the state of the city's carriage trade, wouldn't you agree--the horses need water?

Read a compelling viewpoint: "You Can Lead a Horse to Water, If There Is Any" (Feb. 21, 2008)
Photo used courtesy of the Coalition to Ban Horse-Drawn Carriages

Special Shoes, Indeed

Are these the kind of "special shoes" that you were talking about, Carolyn, when you responded to Pink's "Buck Cruelty" billboard in Times Square?

Chester Elliot has a happy ending but used to be a Boston carriage horse. Like the horses in New York City, Boston carriage horses wear 1-inch thick heavy steel work shoes with a cleat at the heels and toes for grip. Notably, this steel shoe lends the distinctive "clip clop" sound that apparently generates tourist dollars. Chester's hoof (seen in photo above) suffered from thrush, which is not uncommon in carriage horses who don't get turnout, stand in filth all night, and pound the pavement repeatedly.

The thrush, which occurred inside Chester Elliot's hooves, was worsened by poor grooming during his carriage horse days (his belly was also matted with urine stains). His steel shoes restricted the circulation to his hooves; his pavement-pounding work further complicated the condition, creating a microbial soup inside his hoof. (ie, "hoof rot.")

Chester Elliot photo is used courtesy of the Coalition to Ban Horse-Drawn Carriages (Happy Endings).
Although Chester Elliot was not a NYC carriage horse, his condition is a common one and the photo of his foot ailment is descriptive. Lameness and hoof deterioration are commonly seen in carriage horses, equine veterinarian Holly Cheever, DVM, has written. Chester Elliott's story is similar to that of so many rescued carriage horses. Read more

Call Now, Help the Horses!

It only takes a minute! Please call your New York City Council member this week (February 19, 20, and 21) and urge your representative to support Tony Avella's groundbreaking legislation (Intro. 658) to ban horse-drawn carriages. This measure would protect horses and the public.

Not a NY resident? Please call Mayor Michael Bloomberg at 212-NEW-YORK and urge him to support the ban. Be sure he knows that this decision may affect your tourism choices. Mention that when you do visit, you hate to see the horses suffer by having to travel up to 2 miles in heavy traffic (and not having enough drinking water, and working in excessive heat and cold and inclement weather). Urge the mayor NOT to wait for another horse to die--the time is now to put an end to this cruel trade.

Poor oversight of the industry was documented in a city audit (September 2007). The horses also suffer debilitating hoof and leg ailments, live a "nose-to-tailpipe" existence and breathe in toxic exhaust fumes that are associated with severe equine lung disease, and often "spook" and are involved in gruesome accidents. This is what happened in September to Smoothie, and this month 8-year-old Clancy died in his stall from causes than haven't been released--the city health department is refusing to cooperate with the ASPCA's request for information.

Your phone call this week will mean a great deal to the success of this campaign. Call now!

Did you know? The carriage industry has hired two lobbyists and a PR person. Last week, two drivers--Ian McKeever and Patrick Byrne were seen at a "meet and greet" at City Hall along with one of the lobbyists. They're making sure their voices are heard. Make your own voice heard this week!