Just When You Thought It Was Safe to Exploit Horses for Money...

"Our horses lead exceedingly reasonable and content lives. They each receive a superior, formulated diet, occupy roomy box stalls, receive vet & farrier care, and are groomed and bathed regularly. This amounts to food, shelter, and medical care - which many CHILDREN in this city do not have. Beyond these basics, they are loved by their owners/drivers; they receive affection, treats, and human interaction everyday. Every stable has a sprinkler system in case of fire, and every stable has 24/7 stablemen. We are overseen by 5 city agencies, and not one WEEK goes by (and sometimes, day) that our horses are not checked by the ASPCA or the Dept of Health. (Let’s see CPS match that record)
The horses receive rotation turnout several times a year on farms in both Upstate NY and PA.

When the time comes, we retire them to loving, forever homes; some of the owners retire them themselves on privately owned land. I personally have retired 3 horses, one of which is still living the life of Riley after being retired 6 years ago in South Jersey at a bank president’s home.

And Audrey? Of COURSE we are allowed through the Park! The Park was BUILT for carriages, we have been in it since it was unveiled 1858."

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Thank you for covering this movie. Horse-drawn carriages don't belong in an urban environment where they are exposed to any number of stimuli that can spook them, including potholes, air horns, drums, sirens, barking dogs, cars. When horses spook in the city, all hell breaks loose. So many New Yorkers have a story about seeing a spooked horse running out of control and crashing. Also, horses should have daily access to a pasture where they can graze, roll, run and do what comes naturally to a horse. In NYC, they are either hauling people around in a carriage or stuck in multi-story warehouses near the Lincoln Tunnel. If the public knew the truth about the lives of urban carriage horses, this anachronistic and exploitive industry would be banned once and for all.

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I saw a guy on a bicycle in Central Park swerve out of the way of a pile of horse manure and crash into a jogger. The park is covered with crap, and I get fined if I don't pick up after my dog. What gives?

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Huh. Carriage horses.

Sooner or later, I'm hoping someone gets the courage to do a documentary about horse slaughter in Canada and Mexico, and what happens to American horses both at the plants and en route. Too many low-grade horses get bred every year and end up on a plate in Japan or France. To be clear: slaughter of horses is banned in the US. Transportation of US horses for the purpose of slaughter in other countries is not. I'm also not a crusader by any means, but I do own a horse and I know where he easily could have ended up, having been an auction sale at one point in his life. Somehow, being hung by a back leg from the ceiling on a hook and gutted while still alive, or maybe having a leg snapped off or losing both eyes when a double-decker flips on the highway seems a bit worse than hauling fat tourists around a park.

I know carriage horses lead a tough life, but it's all a matter of degree.

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Thank you for publicizing the excellent documentary "Blinders," which is nominated for a Genesis award. The film by Donny Moss will have another screening in Manhattan on March 20 at Village East Cinema as part of the New York Film and Video Festival. It's also being broadcast on the Documentary Channel. For more screening information visit www.blindersthemovie.com

We local residents see the plight of the horses every day in New York City, but others may not be aware of the realities of this inhumane industry. "Blinders" offers an opportunity to get a real look at how things are--and for some people, it will be an eye opener. The Humane Society of the United States and the ASPCA support a full ban on the carriage industry in New York City, and Council Member Tony Avella has introduced landmark legislation to make it happen.

Non-New York City residents, please drop a letter in the mail to City Hall. Take a few minutes to let Mayor Bloomberg know that you are appalled by this kind of exploitation of horses for cash and won't be visiting until this outdated and inhumane industry is a thing of the past.

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Blinders is a biased collection of twisted mis-truths and outrageous lies.
So much of what you guys think goes on is just your feelings and feelings aren't facts.
My Horse stands on 5th avenue and is inspected at least a dozen times any month by a NYC Dept Of Health Veterinarian, ASPCA, ASPCA Vet, Consumer Affairs etc.

NOT ONE animal cruelty ticket or violation has EVER been given in regard to a NYC Horse.
You people just do not want a horse working with a carriage period. This is a Walt Disney Fantasy world you have created of running free with black beauty.

Any of you ‘animal lovers” like to adopt a few horses, pay for their feed, veterinarian bills, blacksmith bills etc etc…
If so I ask you to go to a Horse sale and see how many are just “weighed” and bought only on this criteria, exported and used as food and glue.
I have 3 horses, 2 in the city at any given time and one on the farm in Lancaster County PA at any given time. They are rotated, and all get a few months each year on the farm.
None work 7 days a week and I gladly pay the quarterly vet Visits, vaccinations, and shoeing ( usually 4 to 5 weeks) and many more associated costs.

Actually my horse sees the vet more times a year than i see the doctor.
I spend more money on my horses stables fees, vet bills , blacksmith bills, dept of health and Dept of Consumer affairs fees, farm/pasture monthly rent than i do on my own family's rent,health insurance and well being.. all my horses live well beyond 15 years,
None entered the city younger than 4 and none work past 15. Most enjoy 5+ years in retirement.
So much lies, slander and defamation are printed by you nit wits who have no conception of the reality of the situation, but hey, the “organizers” of these campaigns all have ulterior motives and most come to financial gain of some sort.
Many genuine animal lovers sentiment whether genuine or misguided at times are high jacked by these “bottom feeders” to further their selfish goals.
Learn the truth please.
Blinders is so full of biased and twisted representations of the reality I completely dismiss any effect it has or anyone gullible enough to believe this propaganda.

Z List celebs, failed Movie Director wannabes craving their 15 minutes of fame.
You are a sorry misguided bunch.

Also, if "look at me Look at me" attention cravers like Pink and that dumb blonde chick built like a horse (Kirstin Johnson?) ( lets call them Z-lLebs) are such a supporters of letting Horses free… Could she/they dip into their/her pockets, provide a farm and the monthly income to run a “retirement farm” for horses who genuinely need it?
C’mon Pink.
Talk is cheap.
Get a 100 acre farm with stables and the ancillary services required, pay the veterinarians and farriers… and i will direct you to where 100 horses (not NYC Carriage horse) can be bought, who unfortunately and sadly are only headed to slaughter.
I, or my beautiful healthy horses do not need your false sympathy. Pink and her Z-Leb ranters just crave attention and cameras at all times and Pink obviously has obviously not worked out a lot of childhood and anger management issues.

PUT UP OR SHUT UP PINK!!!
I will not hold my breath.

If only10 of your so called Z-Lebs would commit financially to this, We all together could "retire" a 1,000 horses that need loving owners.
Our NYC Carriage horses do not need your "intervention". They already have the love and attention they deserve.

I love my horses and they love me.
I do not need you or your ranting opinions.
Most of the “Hardline” protesters can be seen at multiple animal protests in different states. ( sound fishy to you yet?) consisting of
Craigslist rent a mob for $150 a day.
Bitter Bags of Bile and rejected spurned spinsters who have never had anyone love them or their multiple personalities except their multiple overweight cats.

They are a sad and sorry bunch.
They cannot be taken seriously and never will be.

C’mon Pink… How about funding a farm for 100 horses ???

Neither do the ASPCA want to do anything but ride the financial gravy train, more obese misfits who could not get city jobs and opted for ASPCA Peace Officer status with its Lucrative overtime.
(Anatomy of a Scam)
Clock in at 8am. POp by the park for lunch and do a few spot checks. take it easy and dawdle around the city. Hey maybe catch a movie (not blinders though even they know its bullcrap)
later, much later drive by the park at 11:30pm that night ,give a carriage operator a consumer affairs tickets for dim lights, or some other bullcrap technicality… but NEVER for animal abuse and validate your overtime.
(The best scams are always simple in the end)
Follow the money - Where DO your donations go ?
The truth will kill you guys.

think this does not happen?
How about former ASPCA officers Hernandez & Torres who creamed $500,000 in overtime in 3 years before going on the lam.
oh you didn’t know about that one now did you guys.
ask your new york aspca about those 2 fraudsters and racketeers.
ASPCA, PETA ,Coalition to ban horse drawn carriages, Tony Avella( its really about your "upping" your minuscule profile and rezoning on the west side tony, cough,cough, “Studio City”)
These Snake Oil Salespersons and organizations are all “Rackets” hijacking the sympathy of gullible animal lovers and they all have other primary motives for their involvement.

Imagine how many horses who really need help (Not nyc carriage Horses) could be "retired" on the money paid to one of these aspca officers.

tell the full truth if your going to be so vocal, not the selectively cherry picked parts that are then twisted into blatant Lies and covered with a wafer thin veneer of :
we love these horses,
we feel so sorry for the horse,
“Free the horses’
(but most importantly - send us $$MONEY$$.)

Check out Overtime abuse by ASPCA officers who see their job as a cushy number, and a nice little earner with all the overtime they want.
They are Fraudsters of the highest order.

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Thank you for writing about the plight of urban carriage horses and BLINDERS. Every clip in the film was vetted by a law firm that specializes in entertainment and first amendment issues. No "twisted mis-truths" or "lies." The industry is terrified that people will see BLINDERS and be exposed to the TRUTH behind the tradition. In fact, the industry's lobbying firm Brown, McMahon and Weinraub sent a letter to every City Council member urging them to boycott public screenings of BLINDERS. The bottom line is this: every equine expert I interviewed conveyed the same basic point: certain conditions in NYC cannot be corrected in a way that would make the industry safe or humane. Those conditions include the stimuli that spook horses, the traffic congestion, the absence of pastures, the two and three story garages where the horses are stored at night, the hard and hot pavement that causes concussive injuries to their legs, the car exhaust they they ingest all day, etc, etc.

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Fascinating.
A horse-drawn carriage is, in your words, an "insipid and antiquated mode of travel."
Horses suffering from the congested air. Suffering, oh, the suffering. How many animals actually live in the cities?
Anyone?
Not as many animals as there are people.
The humans, ah, screw them. They should be breathing those terrible fumes that, well, we asked for. We did buy the car, didn't we?

How utterly ridiculous to scream how cruel it is to the horses, but the people, well, they want to suffer the effects. They need to suffer the effects.
Horses are a part of our history. I am sorry the cities are so appalling. Horses are a pure breath of fresh air, straight from the country.
That is good for people.
Screw people. Screw all the living breathing human creatures. They should NeVeR see a part of history. They should just suffer.

Poor people.
I feel very sorry for them. The horses? I love to see them. They are a part of our history.
Now, what about the poor DOGS walked in the cities? Cats, birds, rats, etc.etc.
Oh, the suffering.
Fascinating..

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Hey Scottie ol' boy -

Lord knows I have seen my share of ignorance and hysteria burbled on blogs in relation to my beloved business - but you win the dubious award of having crammed so much of both into such a little space =:-O

The dearth of your knowledge about horses in general is matched only by your painfully apparent lack of knowledge about OUR horses, specifically.

First of all, our horses are not 'aged' as a group; they range in age from 5 yrs to 20 yrs, with just about every age represented.

The carriages themselves are modern, lightweight, and each one is equipped with ball bearing wheels for ease of rolling and brakes to take the weight off the horse completely when going downgrade.

A horse can easily pull 6X it's weight on wheels; the average NYC carriage horse pulls 20-25% of that figure.

As for your dripping cynicism - it says way more about you than about us that you call lovely families of every stripe, from just about everywhere around the world, "yahoos" and "lazy fools".

"Tourist trap"? I cannot count how many times people have told me that the carriage ride was "the best thing they had done in NYC".

For 20 minutes or longer, folks from out of town (the lifeblood of NYC) or NYers (yep, we get a goodly amount of these, too)can enjoy a ride through the park, along with an informative tour, maybe a few jokes & a funny NYC story, perhaps a restaurant recommendation, and have their photo taken as a keepsake - pretty nice "tourist trap" if you ask me.

Not to mention what is usually the highlight of the trip - coming back and meeting the horse, petting him, and giving him a carrot or two provided by the driver.

It's simple, sweet, historic, family-friendly, and people love it.

It is unfortunate that these simple pleasures elude sophisticates like you, but you have your smug, misanthropic thoughts to keep you warm at night, right? ;-)

Lastly, I agree - you're not a crusader. You're a hypocrite.

It's OK for you to feast on a nice steak that comes from a factory farmed cow who was slung up by one leg on chain after being stunned and then having it's throat slashed while it's still conscious....yes, yes, nothing wrong there.

But a horse doing what it was bred to do, living his life and working alongside his driver in an urban setting - ah yes, what a horror.

As for your tired cliche about they're being 'some good ones' in our industry - well, that has always been a refuge of scoundrels and shallow thinkers.

Just think - all that was needed for you to come to all these ersatz conclusions was to view a piece of horse-porn propaganda, whipped up by a failing stand-up comic who was looking for a little sensationalist content to get into a few film festivals LOL

Lastly, there is no 'exploitation' here.

The relationship between man and horse in our industry is a symbiotic one, as has been represented all over the globe since the dawn of time.

The horse WORKS - and in exchange for that work, has every life amenity he needs, plus some pretty nice fringe benefits that THOUSANDS of horses across this country do not have.

It's a relationship, it is wonderful to experience it, and I am blessed to have been able to enjoy it for 27 years in the heart of NYC.

And my horses are blessed too.

http://thewhiffletreenyc.blogspot.com/

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Got to say that this seems utterly ridiculous to me. Lets assume that absolutely every complaint being leveled at the carriage industry is correct. That would still make this argument the equivalent of bitching about people in our current economy who had to go from a $60,000 job to a $55,000 job. Yeah, it sucks that they now are making 5 G's less then before, but there are people out there in MUCH worse trouble than that. So yeah, maybe these horses don't have the lives that God (or, more likely, Disney) thinks that they should, but these horses are extremely well cared for in the environment they're in, they get plenty of affection and love, and are probably about as healthy as a horse can be. Maybe not running wild in open fields and meadows all day long under sunny skies the way we envision a horse being, but this is not hell on earth for animals. Devote your time to helpig the horses that are truly suffering and being mistreated around the world. When horses aren't being inhumanely transported, butchered, and tortured then you can come back around to this issue. Until then it sounds like a typical rant where judgemental people open up their doors, look outside, see someone doing something they don't like and attack them for it. Educate yourself on the real underlying issues and go after those. Getting so upset about horse drawn carriages seems like a pretty big waste of ones time.

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Kevin, comment #14-

You have made my day :-)

It is SUCH a breath of fresh air everytime a non-horse person responds to our issue with insight & reason.

THANK YOU.

Of course, you are 100% correct - there are thousands of horses out there in desperate need RIGHT NOW, and our horses are not among them.

There is an epidemic of abandoned horses across the country due to what is being called a “perfect storm” of a slow economy, highfeed prices, & the recent national outlawing of slaughterhouses. This is a mammoth crisis - 1000s of horses being left to waste away in fields & paddocks, or surrendered to over-crowded rescues. Closing down a business where horses lead content & exceedingly reasonable existences will only ADD to this problem.

A well-loved, cared-for horse with a job is a lucky horse, in any setting, urban or otherwise.

Anybody hell-bent on putting carriages out of business should hop on down to the auction & buy a slaughter-bound horse and care for it for the rest of its natural life. That would actually be doing something to help the horses, not hurt them.

BUT that requires a helluva lot more than a video camera & ambition to be famous.

Thanx again.

http://thewhiffletreenyc.blogspot.com/

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This is typical rhetoric by animal rights groups spreading their propaganda. Donny Moss to his credit made a very well edited movie. However, it doesnt tell you ANYTHING it merely suggests that this could be what is going on . For instance he shows a trailor outside of New Holland sale yard where horses are purchased and he say this is where the horses could end up. He didnt say that this IS where they end up. Propaganda is set in place to make you think without providing any facts. How come in this film it doesnt show not 1 lame horse? How come it doesnt show horses working with open wounds or sores? How come it doesnt show a single horse spooking or looking to run away? How come it doesn't show overloaded carriages? I will tell you why because it doesnt exist the way thatt he animal crazies would lead you to believe. Seeing that the title "Is the Truth Behind the Tradition" this film doesnt provide one ounce of truth. The truth is that horses arent lame like they say and carriages arent overloaded and horses arent spooking to the extent that the animal nutjobs would lead you to believe!!

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Blinders is now up for a Genesis Award for best documentary from the Humane Society of the United States. You can view the entire movie at:
http://beta.sling.com/video/show/120848/06/Blinders

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