Contact:  coalition@banhdc.org
edita@friendsofanimals.org
heartforanimals@optonline.net

A carriage horse collapsed today (Dec. 4, 2011) at 59th St. near FAO Schwartz - sometime after 4PM. This picture was sent to me by someone who was in a car just behind the fallen horse. The Win Animal Rights demo against the carriage horse trade was going on at the time and activists were there to document the entire horrific incident. I hear that the horse got up and appears to be OK. HOWEVER, during this season, horses are worked till they drop. The 15 minute break they are supposed to get every two hours is a joke. This inhumane industry must be shut down.

Photo: Matthew Miller/Polaris
Charlie a New York City carriage horse collapsed and died on a midtown Manhattan street on October 23, 2011. Charlie fell to the ground just a few blocks from Central Park, which was the carriage destination on a Sunday morning. University College of Veterinary Medicine has shown that Charlie had a chronic ulceration of the stomach and a cracked tooth at the time of his death. As of late November, the cause of Charlie's death remains unknown pending the final necropsy report.

Charlie was remembered in a candlelight vigil on October 28. Approximately 100 people attended in memory of Charlie and on behalf of all NYC carriage horses, past and present. Demonstrators joined together near Central Park, then walked to W. 54th Street and the spot where Charlie died, and finally on to the industrial building that served as a stable where Charlie lived. To see video of the candlelight vigil and memorial walk, click here.
http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2011/10/24/2011-10-24_horse_dies_on_w_54th_st.html

The present campaign to rid NYC of the inhumane and unsafe horse-drawn carriage trade began in January 2006 after the death of Spotty, a five year old horse  who was returning home to his stable when he spooked in traffic at 9th Avenue and 50th Street. 

The Coalition to Ban Horse-Drawn Carriages, a local all volunteer grass roots group, works with Friends of Animals and Heart for Animals on this issue, which has been an on going campaign since 2006.  

In 2007, Council Member Tony Avella introduced a ground breaking bill to ban the industry and ensure that  the horses were saved from being sold at auction.  There has been one public hearing on the bill, which was well attended, but no votes were taken. 

Since this campaign began, it has once again become an issue that is being taken seriously.  The Coalition has amassed approximately  35,000 signatures on its online and street petitions representing people from all 50 states and 55 countries. 

Join us on June 6, 2006.  For more information, sign up for our newsletter by sending an e-mail to coalition@banhdc.org.  Provide your first and last name and your city and state. 
Visit us at www.banhdc.org

See also – the web sites for:  Friends of Animals  and Heart for Animals