http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mv6Be-fdBs4&feature=channel_page

Today Now! welcomes adventurer and balloonist Trent Montague, who is determined to steer the conversation to the horrors of horse abuse.

Today Now! welcomes adventurer and balloonist Trent Montague, who is determined to steer the conversation to the horrors of horse abuse.

http://www.r8ny.com/blog/smoothie/dissection_of_a_carriage_horse_proposed_into_bill_653_a.html

Sponsors: Stewart, Koppell, Weprin, Felder

Section 1

subsection J: the stables will be inspected by a single entity designated by the commissioner....and shall be certified by the NYS health Assurance Progam

Problem with subsection J: per the Comptroller Audit Report dated June 27, 2007, the commissioner failed to enact the Advisory Board, since the enactment of the statute 1980s, to recommend specific regulations necessary to promote the health, safety and well-being of the horses. As a result of the commissioner failure to establish this board since 1980s, regulations promoting the health,safety, and well-being of the carriage-horses remain broad and general in scope. Therefore, The Advisory Board and not the commissioner should designated this single entity which should be the ASCPA since the ASPCA, not the commissioner office, is authorized by State humane laws to enforce the State humane law.

Another problem with section J is The Department of Agriculture's Division of Animal would not be "overseeing" the carriage horses/stables in any regulatory manner. The Stable owners themselves elected to participate in the NYS Horse Health Assurance Program in order to be provided with a structure and guidelines for the managing of their facilities and caring for the horses. The program is strictly voluntary and each stable would be worked with individually if they decide to proceed with certification.

Therefore the industry will be self-regulated and the ASPCA will no longer inspect the stables since the ASPCA supported the horses in the hearing and not the carriage drivers and this is payback.

sub section N: Horse will be examined by a vet only once a year

Problem with Section N is again-what are the recommendations of the advisory board that was established last year to meet quarterly. NYC Comptroller report found the Veterinarian never went out to the field to examine the conditions of the horses and the veterinarian spend on average 25 minutes for each inspections. the Audit report believes it was limited time available for the veterinarian consultant to observe the overall physical conditions of the horses. this section does not ensure at all the well being of the horses.

sub section q:horses not younger than 5 nor older than 20 years of age put on service.

Problem with subsection q is that it only address the age limits mentioned in the audit report but not the size of horse stalls nor ensuring that horses are not switched such as an electronically identified permanent unalterable ID. The audit report found differing information to describe the horses even gender in one case. It Doesn't address mandatory retirement home at all for the horses after they reach their age limit

Section 2: rates will be increased from $34 to $54 for the first half-hour and from $10 to $20 for each additional fifteen minutes.

The problem with section 2 is not only the overcharging of tourists (shown in videos) but it is a cash only industry and the city and the taxpayers don't benefit and there is no guarantee or assurances that it is for the cost and upkeep of the horses. Doesn't address mandatory retirement home at all for the horses.

section 3: for a 6 month probationary license, the carriage is restricted to areas immediately adjacent to Central Park

the problem is that the horses don't belong at all in traffic even if the license has past his probationary period. Also the lack of enforcement and oversight.

Council member David Weprin is firm on his support for this bill. His support for this bill demonstrate he will not be a good comptroller at all for us.

Please contact this other council members and ask them not to sign unto Intro 653-A which will decrease oversight. And if you would take a step further then ask them to support Intro 658 which will ban the cruelty. Not only are the conditions inherently inhumane but the city has no regard for these horses. lets end the cruelty

here are the council members to call:

Charles Barron: 212-788-6957

Leroy Comrie 212-788-7084

John C. Liu 212-788-7022

Oliver Koppell 718-549-7300 (note that he supports intro 653 which will make conditions worse for the horses)

Kendall Stewart 212-788-6859

Simcha Felder 212-788-7357

And if these council members condemn these horses then do ever vote for them. they don't deserve to be in office.

I'm surprised no one else has mentioned this, but the #1 reason I'm in favor of this is getting rid of the smell. Living in NYC has many advantages over living in the suburbs/rural areas, and not having to tolerate the smell animal feces is usually one of them. I think it's disgusting while walking through Times Square or the southern edge of Central Park to get a big ol' whiff of horse shit.

There's no reason why we should have horses still wandering around the streets of New York City. If you want to see pretty horses, take a freaking train to a farm and make sure to shower before you come back.

how about we just ban toursim. that will take care of so many things.

THANK YOU, COUNCILMAN GARODNICK -- USING HYBRID CARS GETS THE CARRIAGE INDUSTRY OUT FROM UNDER ATTACK FOR ITS PRACTICES, KEEPS THEM FROM LOSING JOBS, IT'S GOOD FOR TOURISM, CHILDREN, THE HORSES, THE ENVIRONMENT -- AND NYC. CAN'T WAIT TO SEE THE PARK FROM A MODEL T!

Just forgo all this bullshit and cruise the park in a limo and throw the empty Cristal bottles out of the sunroof.

This is a great idea!

They should Keep the horses in the park, and stop automobile traffic from going through the park.

How about requiring the horse carriage industry to get it's horses from owners or horse rescue groups who cannot afford to feed and take care of their horses?

This way the horses can be rescued. Because giving to charity has been going down, I am not sure if the existing horse rescue groups will be able to afford to rescue more horses on their own.

Congress recently banned horse slaughterhouses, so some owners will now have their horses shipped to Canadian slaughterhouses or vets, both of which may cost money in vet bills or stressful travel to Canada in a truck for the horses.

What happens to the horses after the ban? If all those people are going to lose their jobs who's going to take care of the animals? Or is PETA going to step in so they don't end up at the slaughter auctions?

PETA is in it for the publicity and the money. PETA kills animals. In 2007, it killed 90% of the animals in its care.

Don't believe it: visit petakillsanimals.com

(p.s. Watch all the PETAphiles who suffer from OCD come out and attack me personally and the website as well.) The truth hurts little people with little minds.

Believe it or not, not everyone who believes in animal rights is a supporter of PETA's methods, which can sometimes be counterproductive to the cause. But if they are working to end the horse carriage industry, then good for them, their help is appreciated.

Horses have been used by humans for millennia, now all of a sudden that is wrong. Another case of political correctness and misinformation run amok.

If the century-old horse carriage industry is closed, will you adopt a horse, marcy? If PETA does, there is a good chance they will be euthanized since that seems to be an m.o. of PETA. So we don't want that to happen.

If you are not willing to adopt a horse, you shouldn't expect others to do what you are unwilling to do.

You're tiresome and your endless rants about PETA sound like a broken record.

The real "facts" are that horses have been abused for ages. More than a hundred years ago, Henry Bergh founded the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA). (Coincidently, Bergh was also the co-founder of the Child Protective Society in the US.) He championed the rights of animals and children and was known for beating the owners of horse-carts with the very whips they used to beat their horses.

Henry Bergh is buried in historic Green-wood Cemetery in Brooklyn, NY.

most of the time they end up in slaughter auctions as it is, after they can no longer pull carriages. It is rare that any of the drivers gives the horses sanctuary. If this business continues, there will be more and more horses facing this fate.

but those videos at least show the whole picture instead of the industry always posting only pictures of the horses in the park and not in the congested traffic around the city and around the areas on 11th ave where they are housed.

Jesus, is "eco-tourism" really a thing??

see these channels on youtube that have videos of the horses and why a ban is needed

http://www.youtube.com/user/horsesinnyc

http://www.youtube.com/user/donnyfmoss

Saw them all. Mostly real boring. I was expecting Faces of Death and all you gave me was Afternoon Ride in the Park.

So you think a horse carriage in traffic is cruel? Wow. I suppose you find the pedicab in traffic inhumane. What must you think of bicyclists. Oh, the horrors of pedestrians!

Now there was one. Those carriage drivers are funny. Dishing out the smack like good, oldtime New Yorkers. I tip my hat to them.

Great idea! But would Stanley Steam-Powered Cars be even better?