Academic Blog for Animal Cruelty- Horse Carriage

Hello NYS assembly member Michael Cusick, 

My name is Shannon Hui and today I’d like to talk to you about banning horse carriages in NYC.

I would like to start with a statistic, close to 70 horses are unaccounted for at the end of each year in New York City. Horses aren’t protected under the Animal Welfare act so the only protection that they have come from local animal control officials. The problem with this is that according to the experts, the anti-cruelty laws aren’t even ideal for horses. The officials also don’t have the resources to monitor whether or not the operators are following the regulations. This makes the whole process unenforceable and difficult to regulate.

Second, I would like to inform you of the instances in which horse carriages create dangerous situations for themselves and the people. Being that NYC is one of the most fast-paced cities in the world, these slow-paced carriages don’t stand a chance. Horses are prey animals and they fall victim to loud noises and startling situations. Because they are thrust into the danger of NYC transportation and traffic, they can easily be scared into making sudden movements and hurting themselves and others. NYC has the highest horse carriage accident rate in the country.

I would also like to mention the conditions in which horses are forced to work in. By law, horses can work for up to nine hours a day, seven days a week. With that being said, I want you to remember how they are literally nose to tail pipe for the majority of their workday. Sucking up exhaust fumes can cause respiratory illness and death. In addition to this, horses in New York City are forced to walk around with steel shoes on concrete floor. This is an unnaturally hard surface and can cause lameness. After a long day of work, most of these horses are forced to go back into stables less than half the recommended size by horse experts. This makes it virtually impossible for them to lay down or stretch their legs after a long day of work. It is barbaric the way we treat these poor, innocent animals and it’s time we made a difference.

To end my statement, I wanted to share a quote with you by Milan Kindera. “Humanity’s true moral test, its fundamental test, consists of its attitude towards those who are at its mercy: animals. “ With that being said, I ask that you, assembly member Michael Cusick have the heart and morality to sign the petition to pass the bill to ban horse-carriages in New York City for in order for us to create a difference, we must lead by example.