if you do not eat meat, and never wear leather or wool, and dont eat produce grown on a farm that uses work animals, etc., then you are allowed to criticize the horses in nyc.

but the idea that these "poor" horses "have it bad" compared to the HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF ANIMALS that are raised in unfavorable conditions only to be slaughtered so that we can eat cheeseburgers or spend 14 hours a day pulling plows through a field, is pretty silly.

as someone who eats meat and wears leather shoes, etc., i know that while a horse living the life as a carriage puller in nyc in not the ultimately ideal life for a horse, i am rational enough to know that compared to the alternative, these horses don't really have it that bad.

it would be nice to think that every horse were allowed to frolic free in a pasture their entire life, but that isn't realistic. animals are raised and bred, for the most part, to serve humans. if you don't like that idea and think that animals and humans exist on the same evolutionary level, then you need to stop eating meat, wearing leather, etc. etc. etc.

trust me, the conditions for animals being raised for food or to work on a farm are much worse for those animals than pulling a carriage in nyc.

and, as for the argument that horses dont belong in a metropolitan area, that same argument could be used for dogs. there is never a call to ban dogs from the city when one gets loose and is hit by a car, etc. (which does happen often). if you are ready to ban horses from nyc, are you ready to ban dogs?

i am not a carriage driver or a advocate for the carriage industry, i'm just a realist. i know that conditions for the horses in nyc are not ideal, but conditions for animals in this world are almost never ideal. if you think horses in nyc are mistreated, take a trip to a slaughterhouse or a chicken farm. the horses in nyc are fed well, can only work a limited number of hours a day, are forced to stop working if the temp reaches a certain degree, etc.

that all being said, it does not mean that the conditions for carriage horses in nyc cannot be improved. there should a hitching post for every carriage in central park or the drivers should be forced to stand with their horse. in almost every case in which a horse was injured, it could have been prevented if the horse was tied up and couldnt bolt off while unattended. in addition there should be more water spigots for the horses to drink from. also, while most horses are treated well by their drivers and owners, just like in any industry, there are a few that mistreat their animals (over work them, double shifts, etc.). the industry should be more closely monitored by a single organization.

the problem with organizations like the coalition to ban the carriages and peta, etc. is that their only goal is to outright ban the carriages (which is very unlikely to happen). and because of this, they have no interest in helping improve the conditions for the horses.

and, also, the idea that musicians should be banned from central park is silly. asking for that was a stupid move on the part of the drivers. there are an infinite number of things that could spook a horse, which is why they should be tied up whenever they are unattended.

"Break dancers are lowlifes"...waht about bringing the debate to horses being the victims.

This guy deliberately spooked this horse. He can deny it to the press all he wants. Let's look at what he was doing...oh, he was playing drums for a bunch of break dancers. Now break dancers obviously have the utmost respect for the world. NOT! He did this as a goof, and I bet he laughed about it as it happened, proof being he didn't hang around to find out what happened to the horse.

The guy is a lowlife. Break dancers are lowlifes.

End of story.

maybe you are talking to the genious that said:"the old horses are better off being used as dog food"

Have to say that I disagree. Horses can spook because of their own shadow. To not be aware that they are terribly skittish animals and to make a sudden loud noise around one is stupid at best.

You can't be serious.

People who live in HUGE cities, where horses do NOT naturally reside, are expected to be aware of equine tendencies and act accordingly?

You're the stupid one here.

Guest at 9:56:

You have a very reductive logic. Is either kids or horses? maybe in your tiny brain resources are only finite and humans come first, but is not that the case my friend. People can treat animals with the propper care and also kids. Get a wider and deeper perspective my friend...hopefully you don't hate horses as result of your logic.

9-

Something tells me that you've never been around horses before.

or, glue.

I dare anyone to walk the length of CPW on a hot summer afternoon and not puke from the shit smell.

I thought I could block it out but after a block of it, it was enough, I was gagging.

they also stand in their own shit.

F#ck the horses! There are kids starving in NYC right now for heavens's sake! Yes, they should ban the carriages - the old horses are better off being used as dog food...

that's like saying horses were spooked by gunfire in the Wild West. Does not hold up.

pow pow pow, pew pew pew.

Have to say that I disagree. Horses can spook because of their own shadow. To not be aware that they are terribly skittish animals and to make a sudden loud noise around one is stupid at best.

So, yeah, hold the drummer accountable for whatever the animal equivalent of manslaughter is, and make him do some equine related community service.

And bad the current practice of carriage horses.

how do I know this industry is dirty?

when they let the black and russian carriage drivers in. not saying the irish or italians were choir boys but they handed the inhuman baton to another group.

It is impossible to operate the carriage horse industry humanely and therefore it should be abolished. NYC should not have such an inherently cruel business on the face of its tourist industry.

No more horses outside the park!!

Ban the horse carriages!

Inescrupulous individuals profiting from abusing horses are not good in ANY city. Stop this nonesense of neglect and abuse of horses. This poor animals are not recieving the care and attention they need.

central park south between columbus Circle and fifth ave is one of the most busy streets for both cars and pedestrians. don't blame the drum.

The problem isn't the street entertainers. Horses don't belong on congested city streets.

At the very least, the horses should be restricted to INSIDE Central Park. There is no humane reason for a horse to be put in the midst of speeding, honking cars and trucks. As shown many times before, this is a recipe for disaster.

Those poor horses have a terrible life. Most of them start out as Amish farm horses and when they become old, they are sold cheaply to the carriage horse concessioners. After a few hard years on the streets of NYC, they're frequently sold again at auction for their meat.