From near and far, people are talking

About horses, that is
A peaceful vigil at Central Park on December 6 (photo) makes people stop and think about the plight of the horses...
and activists brave the cold to speak up for the horses in Boston...Ingrid Newkirk has a heart for New York's carriage horses...and Ecorazzi blogs up the spicy ad campaign that asks tourists to just say no. Legal troubles for a horse-drawn carriage operator in Galveston, Texas, following an accident last summer. The lives of New York City's carriage horses strike a chord with an equine rescue group in northern California...here's a blogger that aims to set the record straight about the deadly tradition of NYC's horse-drawn carriages. Still a few more days to see "Fox Trot," the Kevin Hellmuth photo exhibition that celebrates horses (exhibit runs through December 17th). Finally, check out screenings of "Blinders," or pick up a DVD for the horse person in your life (or to hold your own neighborhood screening!)

"Foxtrot" is being exhibited at the Church of Saint Paul the Apostle (corner of 59th street and Columbus Avenue), 1 block west of Columbus Circle.

And a great demo in Boston

How many horses have to die?
Activists have united worldwide in a global coalition to ban horse-drawn carriages. A good crowd braved the cold in Boston on Saturday, December 6, during a peaceful demonstration to publicize the plight of the horses. We're told that during the 90-minute demonstration, people were not taking carriage rides! Read more in The Boston Globe, online edition.
Comment moderation got to be too much for Boston.com, apparently. Seems this was a great demo! One of many that commemorated "Horses Without Carriages International."
Photo credit: Essdras M. Suarez/Globe staff

No walk in the park

No walk in the park
Originally uploaded by mac6036

Images from Manhattan on a day of global action: "Horses Without Carriages International." The initiative brought people out in various cities to publicize the plight of the carriage horses, advocate for bans, and engage in educational outreach. A very successful and invigorating event at Central Park! Council Member and mayoral candidate Tony Avella, who introduced a bill that would ban horse-drawn carriages in New York City, spoke briefly and passionately about this blight on the city. Many people shared their support for a ban and wanted to get involved with ongoing work to get the word out. A high-impact message for people to "Pity the Poor Horses" and work for a ban.
Click on the photo to see more images

And another tragic death

Tourists watched in horror as Birillo suffered
A beautiful horse named Birillo died recently in Rome, after spooking and losing his footing when a truck sped close to him near the Colosseum, perhaps even grazing him. A crowd of tourists watched in horror as Birillo suffered and had to be put down. Those sad images brought to mind the painful memory of Smoothie,the New York City carriage horse who died in September 2007 after spooking.
Larger photo: Birillo, 2008, Rome. Inset: Smoothie, 2007, NYC.

Even as Birillo lay dying a few days ago, a global movement was gaining strength--an international coalition that seeks to ban horse-drawn carriages. On Saturday, December 6, activists in cities around will world will mark "Horses Without Carriages International" day, a united effort to bring this issue to the forefront in cities around the world. Anti-carriage activists in Rome, New York City, Boston, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Charleston, S.C., Annapolis, Md., Dublin, Florence, Tel Aviv, and Victoria, Canada are planning peaceful demonstrations to make it known that putting horse-drawn carriages in the midst of city traffic is irrelevant, cruel, unnecessary, and simply wrong.
Take action wherever you are on December 6, 2008, and all throughout the coming year, to unite with others who want to put an end to horse-drawn carriages in cities. Learn more about Horses Without Carriages International and the NYC day of action, sponsored by the Coalition to Ban Horse-Drawn Carriages.
More information to come...