Horse Farm Owner Dies of Injuries in Kentucky Carriage Accident

Carriage horse spooked on horse farm
An owner of a Lexington, Ky., horse farm died from injuries suffered in a carriage accident on the property. The 74-year-old woman and three other passengers were thrown from the carriage after the horse spooked. Another woman in the carriage suffered a broken leg.

It is with sadness that I post this report; it appears on this blog as a tragic reminder that horses spook in various situations, and even in familiar surroundings, despite assertions by the rental and carriage industry that horses can be controlled in every situation.

Support a ban on horse-drawn carriages in New York City. Contact Mayor Bloomberg online and state your support of Intro. 658, the bill that would ban this archaic and dangerous industry.

If you live in New York City, please contact your City Council member and ask him or her to support Intro. 658. Explain briefly why it is important to you--a constituent--to see this inherently inhumane and dangerous industry come to an end. Find my Council member

Abusive Industry Deters Tourism

Marcela D. posted a note on the Web site of the Toronto Humane Society upon hearing the news in late 2007 that another NYC carriage horse, Smoothie, had died.

This is it! Another horse suffering a needless and horrifying death. I will never visit New York again until horse-carriages are banned. I urge everyone to call or write the Mayor of New York and tell him he will be losing a lot of tourism dollars because of this.
Marcela D, Sept. 17, 2007, following the death of Smoothie

Mayor Bloomberg and the City Council, please take note: Tourism suffers when visitors see the abuse that is inherent in the horse-drawn carriage industry. Marcela D said it best: She won't travel to New York until the industry is banned. We can no longer turn our heads in the face of animal abuse in the name of profit.

The impact of New York's supporting an abusive industry is devastating, because New York City is a global trend-setter. Conversely, if the city joins the 21st century and enacts a ban--as so many other cities worldwide already have done--the impact would be tremendous.

Attention, non-New Yorkers: Contact Mayor Bloomberg's office and ask for support of a ban. Your opinion matters--and your tourism dollars count.

The voices of voting NYC residents who care about carriage horses are critically important. Please make known your support for Intro. 658, the bill to ban horse-drawn carriages. Your City Council member needs to hear from you. Explain briefly that the industry is inhumane and cannot be improved. Ask your Council Member to co-sponsor Tony Avella's groundbreaking bill to end this 19th-century anachronism. If the City Council does not hear from you, your good intentions will not be enough. Please write today, and call.

If a Horse Gets Spooked in the Woods...

And if there aren't many people around to see it, does it count?

Charleston, S.C., is having trouble keeping up with recent accidents involving horse-drawn carriages. Two serious accidents in January alone. It seems that the city is reliant on a "courtesy call" from police officers to find out about accidents.

Read the article as published by the Charleston City Paper (Feb. 6, 2008)