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Holiday Season Means More Cruelty For Carriage Horses
By
Jaya Saxena
Published Dec 18, 2010
Modified Dec 18, 2010
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By
Jaya Saxena
Published Dec 18, 2010
Modified Dec 18, 2010
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Life's tough when you're a carriage horse, which is why numerous animal advocacy groups and politicians have passed new bills to change the industry, or suggested to do away with it altogether. But December means there's an influx of tourists who want an oh-so-quaint ride around Central Park with the pretty pony, leaving many horses exhausted and malnourished.
Friends of Animals said, “Numerous horse advocates have witnessed and documented the law being broken, and horses being relentlessly worked with no breaks, often soaked in sweat, exhausted and desperately trying to drink from the empty water trough near the hack line." Stephen Malone, executive director of the Horse and Carriage Association of New York confirmed that, saying, "the law is absolutely being followed by our members." But according to him, there's no point in coddling the horses with regulations and 15-minute breaks.
Malone said, "I was out today, and I did six rides in six hours — rides are 20 minutes, so it’s 40 minutes off an hour. The truth of the matter is that the horses do nothing at all for a minimum of 15 hours a day, and in the 6 or 7 hours they work, they do 2 or 3 hours worth of work." Seriously horses, quit standing around! What do you want the tourists to do, walk?
Tagged
animal cruelty
carriage horse
carriage horse industry
Jaya Saxena
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