Pop singer Pink is in New York City this week to spread the word about the city's dangerous and inhumane horse-drawn carriage industry. She made a stop at Late Night with Conan O'Brien on Wednesday where Conan sympathized with her cause, adding that he and his wife are bothered by seeing the horses, who "look unhappy," in an environment where they clearly don't belong.
"Every year, the list of accidents involving horse-drawn carriages grows longer. Horses are often forced to labor in freezing and sweltering temperatures while walking on hard pavement, dodging cars, and inhaling exhaust fumes. After decades of controversy, it has become clear that additional rules and monitoring make no difference in the lives of these at-risk and dispirited animals. The only humane solution is a permanent ban on horse-drawn carriages."
When I lived in Hell's Kitchen I would hear these poor horses begin their daily commute at 7 or 8 a.m., trotting alongside honking cabs, double-decker buses, and tardy businessmen racing to get to work on time. They made the mile-long journey from their "stables" to Central Park in the worst conditions, from August heat to February snow. Some horses wouldn't return for the night until 2 or 3 a.m. The carriage drivers were always the same, fat guys from New Jersey with slicked-back hair and gold chains around their necks. Some would talk on their cell-phones, others would just ogle women. They appeared to lack even an ounce of concern for the well-being of the horses they profited off of.
If you're planning on touring our lovely city, please take a ride with willing participants, like pedicab drivers. I guarantee it will be a lot less poopy. For more information on the movement to ban horse-drawn carriages, please watch the trailer from the documentary Blinders and sign the petition to ban this outdated, cruel practice.
And find Pink's appearance on Late Night with Conan O'Brien below:
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Peta is a extremly radical organization,if you read peta kills animals,the truth of these s phonies comes to surface.They spend alot of money against licensed legal businesses while they kill healthy animals.Ingrid Newkirk admits how she killed hundreds of animals everyday when she worked in a shelter.These are the types of extremists who ''love'' and want to liberate animals?
Since horses and Manhattan traffic have become incompatible, don't ban the horses.... ban the cars! Getting around Manhattan would be faster and you could start a whole new TV game show called... Cash Carriage!!
Shame on Conan Obrien,listening to Pink slander carriage horses in nyc!He has rented horses from my nyc stable and never has seem to have had a problem before.There is a huge difference between animal welfare and animal ''rights''.As a carriage stable owner with over 24 carriage horses in my own care,i am a supporter of animal welfare,which means animals should be treated ina humane manner and have all its needs met.If peta has its way,there will be nobody ownin a pet,dog,cat,ferret or anything,they are a extremist group who want to dicatate their radical beliefts and con the public's ''donationss'',by accusing licensed insured ,highly regulated business's as the NY horse & carriage trade.Noby in NYC has been cited accused or convicted of animal cruelty,to re read children's fairytale books like Black Beauty is really ridiculous! Pink's record labels mustn't be doing that great lately since she has jumped on the bandwagon with a political hungry unknown queens councilman who is obviously trying to use our horses as poster children,to gain a little free publicity,he isn't the 1st to use our industry as a political football,and they too got nowhere.If this ''concerned council member'' who is attempting to ban our highly regulated,licensed,insured business is sincere,he would have investigated both sides of the issue instead of listening to the lies of fanatics who eventually want to end anybody owning a pet.
Many thanks for this post. I've been disturbed about this for years and it's great to see young people like Pink getting involved.
You wrote two words that said it all: "willing participants." People make choices; animals are thrust into cruel situations. I am off to sign the petition.
If the city insists on having the carriages
then they need to treat the horses well and make a soft trail or path without traffic and attend to their other needs humanely. People need to pay the costs of good treatment then.
Yes, operating horse drawn carrages in NY City is cruelity to the horses. Has been for many years. It is only in recent years they cannot go out in extreme hot weather. Other horses have died when they stepped on 'hot' metal covers connected to the city's electric utility system. Others have gone crazy from the traffic, injuring and ending up dead as well as from the general traffic. They should wind up the use of all commercial horse use ASAP.
We should ban the drivers,"fat guys from New Jersey with slicked-back hair and gold chains around their necks". Or, let these "fat" guys pull the carts. Win-Win.
Thank you, Patrick Waldo! The carriage horses in New York are right out of the book Black Beauty - remember Ginger dying in harness, worked to death pulling a cab?
I hope everyone on Huffpo will support the effort to ban horse-drawn carriages in NYC.
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Posted January 18, 2008 | 01:37 PM (EST)