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"

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.

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...

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"

Where carriage horses live

Surely West Side Livery, one of five carriage horse stables in Manhattan, is one of the worst homes that a horse could have. Most New York City residents go about their daily business not thinking about where the carriage horses live, or perhaps imagining that they are housed in a bucolic setting somewhere in the park. An Animals' Angels investigation tells the real story: tie stalls, sand buckets for fire protection, horses tethered to feeding troughs. Read the report on the website of the Coalition to Ban Horse-Drawn Carriages. Then take a look at the interior of the stable, which is located at 538 W. 38th Street. (You really should see it for yourself.)
Related news: A New York City veterinarian detailed concerns about the multistory stable, including its complete lack of fire protection system, poor ventilation that compromises the horses' respiratory health, inadequate bedding and cramped standing stalls. Watch a news conference co-sponsored by the coalition, Friends of Animals, and Heart for Animal Rights.

No life for a horse

Animal suffering is not a tourist attraction
There are a number of similarities between the horse-drawn carriage industries in Charleston and New York City. Namely, both are politically entrenched, which further illustrates the sad divide between the way things are and the way things should be. Horse-drawn carriages should not be a political issue in these 21st-century cities.

"Earthvegan" blogger Vaishali is the latest to point out an uncivil and troubling disregard for animal suffering, coupled with an alarming cognitive dissonance that must be at work to enable these industries to exist. She writes of a visit to Charleston, where she witnessed the miserable spectacle of a carriage horse pulling 17 tourists around. She also calls out New York City, where the industry is fast gaining notoriety for its multistory stables and dangerous and inhumane working conditions. The one glimmer of hope in this story is that bad news travels as well as good news. Maybe even better.
Photo: From "If Horses Had Wishes"/earthvegan.blogspot.com
Related: "Horse-code violations" (The Post and Courier)
"Horse Pulling Carriage Falls" (The Post and Courier)
"Blinders," the award-winning documentary about NYC's carriage industry
Learn more: Coalition to Ban Horse-Drawn Carriages-NYC

Managing to extinction

Take Action to stop the Bureau of Land Management unwise plan to remove as many as 70 horses from Cloud's herd in the Pryor Mountains. This ill-advised plan, which is scheduled to begin around September 1, will threaten the very existence of the herd and any genetic viability for future survival. The BLM apparently is ignoring all guidance from the public as well as from a noted equine geneticist.
The Cloud Foundation is asking for your help: "Call and email President Obama and Vice President Biden and tell them that you do not want a misguided agency destroying America's wild horses. Call 201-456-9000 or 202-456-1111, or write. Tell them to intervene on behalf of the Pryor Wild Horse Herd! The BLM appears to be on a rampage to manage wild horses to extinction."
Ginger has said that rounded-up horses could well end up in the hands of "kill buyers." Please take action to stop this ill-advised and reckless plan that is a consequence of bureaucratic mismanagement.
Also see a related video from Ginger Kathrens on the proposed roundup. Cloud and his family are at risk, along with dozens of others.