BLINDERS SCREENING
HUNTER COLLEGE, NYC - 3/24/10 at 6:30 PM | |
WAR CALLS FOR BAN ON HORSE DRAWN CARRIAGES On Friday, September 14, 2007, a mare named Smoothie was left unattended by his carriage driver and as a result of a noise, spooked and bolted. After one of her legs became entangled in the carriage wheel, Smoothie wildly ran head on into a tree. She lay on the pavement suffering for 45 minutes. She then went into shock and died on the street. Join Win Animal Rights as we continue to stand in solidarity with the other groups working toward the abolition of horse drawn carriages in New York City. Please join us as we memorialize Smoothie and the other horses that have died on the streets of New York so that tourists can be entertained and greedy carriage horse owners can continue to rake in the cash.
Carriage horse owners and operators are desperate to spin Smoothie's death into a need for hitching posts and a prohibition of street musicians. What they fail to address is questions like: Why was Smoothie and the other horse that bolted left unattended by their handlers? Why did it take 45 minutes to provide emergency medical attention? How will they address the sirens, car horns and other loud noises that are part of the everyday midtown Manhattan experience?
The most incredible statement was made by Carolyn Daly, a spokeswoman for the Horse & Carriage Association of New York when she said: "These aren't just horses, these are their family". How many people would ask their family member to haul a carriage full of tourists through the smog filled and congested streets of New York City and subject them to conditions that most believe are cruel and inhumane? If they truly believe those horses are family, they should immediately call for them to be retired and put out to pasture. |
WHAT YOU CAN DO RIGHT NOW TO  Attend the next Carriage Horse Protest: Attend Blinders screening Horses are not our slaves. They belong in pastures, not in New York City traffic. Please urge Mayor Bloomberg to use his influence to promote more humane forms of entertainment and toursim. Horse drawn carriages are an anachronism that celebrate cruelty and inhumanity. They should be abolished. If you cannot join us, please consider sending a message to Mayor Bloomberg. If you are from outside of NYC, we encourage you to let Mayor Bloomberg know that as a potential visitor, you would think poorly of a city that worked horses under such horrible conditions. PHONE 311 (outside NYC 212-NEW-YORK) E-mail Mayor Michael Bloomberg If you live in New York City, you can also write to your City Council Representative. Locate your representative here: Find your NYC City Council Rep Help prevent scenes like these:   |
