Friday, September 19, 2014

"They Shoot Horses, Don't They?"


Working NYC carriage horse, the driver barely holding reigns.
13-year-old carriage horse and pigeons enjoying his leftover, spilled oats.
Sean and Betty Black.
A special relationship?
Betty knows her name and responds when her caregiver calls her to look back.
Although being an Animal Rights advocate for nearly 40 years and an animal rescuer for at least half that time, there is one animal issue I have avoided like the plague in terms of either writing about or taking actual position on. That is because to do so would likely alienate me from other AR activists, many of whom are otherwise deeply respected and known for years.
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I am speaking about the horse carriages of Central Park -- an issue that has grabbed newspaper headlines in recent years, as well as garnered hundreds of thousands of dollars in recent political funding and campaign contributions (most specifically to the successful deBlasio campaign for Mayor of NYC).  The goal is for the eventual demise and ban of horse carriages in New York City.
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I have followed the campaign to ban horse carriages in NYC for many years, but always had reservations and mixed feelings about it. Because of such internal conflict, I remained neutral and on the sidelines.
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On the one hand, attentiveness and pressure on the industry and politicians was a good thing in terms of bringing about important laws and 140 pages of regulations designed to protect horses from overwork and abuse and to insure proper nutrition and care. Among important regulations is a mandatory five week vacation in the country for carriage horses every year.
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On the other hand, the push for an outright "ban" seemed too extreme and over the top to me. What, I wondered, would become of the 220 horses currently working and even more significantly, future horses who would no longer have these job avenues as potential homes? (Presently, 130,000 horses are sent to slaughterhouses in Canada and Mexico every year for having lost their homes and not having new ones to go to.)
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One can of course correctly argue to the over-breeding of domestic horses in America as we do with cats and dogs, but that doesn't magically produce homes for the millions of animals already here, desperate for placement and dying.
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So, what was the ethically correct and pragmatic way to come down on this issue?   It all seemed so complex and fraught with land mines, I personally chose to avoid it all together. I tried to tell myself that never having personally owned a horse nor worked with them, I was in no real position to "judge" what was ultimately best for them.
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But, I see now that there are many people judging and portending to speak for horses who have actually never owned, worked with or rescued any  -- including our city Mayor deBlasio who refers to the horse carriages as "immoral."
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Perhaps it was incumbent upon me too (as advocate for animal justice) to do some personal investigation and try to find way through the mine fields to an actual position on the highly controversial issue.
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I don't know that I have actually arrived at hard core "position," (though at this point, am certainly leaning in sympathy to one side) as much as I have mostly been deeply troubled over that learned over the past few months and specifically, the last two days.
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I have, in fact. spent the last two days closely observing carriage horses at Central Park, as well as speaking with drivers, some of whom are owners.
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What has been observed have been beautiful, well kept horses who clearly enjoy being around people and genuinely appear happy in their lives and their work.
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In speaking with a few of the drivers, I learned one horse, "Prince" is 17 years-old, was purchased at auction and has been working with his owner for the past 12 years in CP.  (I had to ask myself if that could be true of an animal actually being "abused?") Prince was lively, alert and kept confidently nudging me for more carrots.  "He's pushy," the driver laughed.
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(In fact, all of the carriage horses observed over past two days were between 8 and 19-years old. Most were purchased from the "Holland" Pennsylvania horse auction, where many horses are sold to killer buyers. Other carriage horses are former race trotters.)
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Three horses visited with on Wednesday (Max, Lucky and Tickles) were equally outgoing, confident and seemingly cheerful and content as Prince. -- Nothing at all like they have been portrayed by some in the anti-carriage campaign ("Miserable, sad, overworked, abused"). I looked deeply into all of their eyes and what I saw were calm, ease and seeming comfort with their lives and their caregivers.
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One carriage driver pointed to me a Mexican woman vendor standing nearby and bags of carrots in the horse carriage.   "We buy our carrots from that lady everyday."  (Another person whose job and income will be impacted should a ban pass, but the Mexican lady will not be noted in statistics.)
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Hundreds of pigeons also live a life of ease around the carriage horses.  As one driver quipped, "horses and pigeons go together!" This same driver told me that whenever the horses have to be removed from streets during very hot of cold weather, the pigeons are "desperate" for their return as they are not used to fending for themselves. (This too is something never discussed, though as a bird lover, it bears some consideration to me.)
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I asked a couple of the drivers about the mayor and the campaign against them.
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This is a highly emotionally charged and very hard thing for some to talk about. Prince's owner seemed especially distraught. He shared with me, the alleged, "frustration" of ASPCA humane law enforcement officers who frequently complained of being called off  true animal neglect and abuse emergencies in the Bronx and elsewhere to investigate so-called "abuse" of carriage horses as reported by one particular anti-carriage crusader. According to the driver, the agents felt "prevented" from doing their actual jobs.
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I also spoke with Christina Hansen who is both horse owner/driver and spokesperson for carriage drivers. (She owns "Tickles" who is a large, powerful draft horse working for Christina for, I believe, 8  years at CP.)  Christina is very knowledgeable and articulate on issue. She realizes the "gun" this industry is under and is fighting hard for herself, the horses and the other drivers. She told me, "There are currently 40,000 horses in desperate need of homes and adopters. The anti-carriage people have not contributed anything towards actually saving horses and are rather engaged in a misanthropic, hate campaign to deprive horses of the good homes they already have and put decent people out of work."
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"Its all about land grab," added Christina (and other drivers/owners). "The three story stables are surrounded by luxury, high rise buildings in prime real estate area.  Apartments in such buildings sell for millions."
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I tried to assure that not all animal rights advocates are pawns for rich Real Estate developers, ambitious politicians and/or engaged in or even supportive of the campaign to ban carriage horses in NYC, (me, being one of them). Quite frankly, for people under such constant attack I was surprised they did not have equal hatred for those crusading against them. On the contrary, the horse drivers I spoke with seemed to understand that true lovers and carers of animals would not be behind a campaign of such exaggeration, name-calling and acrimony. Rather, they refer to the protesters as "Radical Animal Rights."
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I spent much time observing some of the horses actually working to take people around Central Park.  The walks were slow and leisurely with drivers barely having to even hold the reigns.  The horses know the routes by heart and walk gingerly with heads level and (to my eyes) cheerful disposition.  (If this is "abuse" then perhaps I have been guilty of such when "forcing" my dogs to walk sizable distance through Central Park all these years?)
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When finally leaving on Wednesday and saying good-bye to horses and their owners, I said, "Don't worry. It's likely the ban will not happen."  (But, to be honest, I am not so sure of this anymore.)
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Yesterday, I returned to Central Park South as I did not have my camera the first day.
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More observations and interviews, similar to the first day.
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But, one driver/owner  was particularly despondent and pessimistic over the future for NYC carriage horses and their owners.
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"I used to love this work," said Sean, a 50-something-year-old Irish immigrant who has been working the beat for many years, "But, its become so hard."
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Sean is owner of "Betty Black," a beautiful black mare literally saved from slaughter 8 years ago.  "An Amish guy saved her from the killer buyer and called me saying, "'I've got the perfect horse for you.'"  I went and bought her the next day."
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Sean is planning to return to Ireland where he grew up on a farm. He claims to have a "beautiful home" lined up for Betty Black on a Virginia farm if and when the time actually comes. "There is no joy in this work anymore apart from what I share with my horse," Sean said.  "The protests, the lies, the accusations, the dirty politics, the land grab have all become too much."
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Sean went on to relate one particular incident that apparently got to him in soul and spirit.
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"A few weeks ago, I was driving a woman and her elderly mother. The mother was dying from cancer and it was one of her last wishes to take a horse carriage ride through Central Park.  Suddenly, two women, waving signs and pointing fingers started to shout repeatedly, 'Shame, shame!  Animal Abusers!'  I was so angry, I muttered a cuss word to them and then had to apologize to my passengers. But, they were pleased I had done that as the experience was ruined for both the daughter and her dying mom.  It has all just become too much over the past few years. I can't hold my temper anymore...." his voice trailing off...
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In reply, I attempted to spout empty platitudes like, "Well, don't give up. Nothing is ever hopeless" to which Sean lamented, "You know, the irony is we have wanted to make some renovations and improvements to the stables to make them even nicer for the horses...stuff like lighting, new pipes, etc, but sensing that the stables will be coming down, it doesn't make sense."
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I could only offer weak condolences and cliches as I did not have answer for that or for that matter, anything else heard previously.
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Finally bading Good-bye to Sean and Betty Black and  leaving Central Park South around 7 PM, I was struck by the general air of despondency surrounding the few remaining horse carriages and some of their drivers. Seemingly gone are the fancy dress of drivers and frivolous decorations on horses, instead replaced by more casual and basic garb.
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Is this, in fact, a "dying industry?" One done in by the modern tech age, pricey Real Estate land grabs, seemingly "bought" politicians, well meaning, but ultimately misinformed and misled "Animal Rights" proponents and a general public that, quite frankly has more important things to worry about?
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Is Sean right to give up on all this and retreat back to Ireland?
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I don't know.
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These experiences, however are known.
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For nearly 20 years I did cat and dog rescue and placement (both strays and AC&C animals; more than 3,000 in all) and saw more than my share of abused, neglected, sad, suffering, starved, defeated, desperate, sick, terrorized, tortured, horribly stressed and dead animals.  I did not see any hint of such over past two days. Moreover, I like to think I am particularly sensitive to animals and would easily recognize animal suffering if/when I saw it.
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So much of this is of course, subjective.  But, to claim "abuse" one should have actual evidence, not just feelings, the ability to name-call, money to throw to political campaigns or the repeated pointing to random and extremely rare incidents of misfortune.  The fact that some animals "work" does not in and of itself prove abuse.  Some might actually argue the opposite.  In humans for example, loss of work and purpose can be preludes to major depression.  In animals too, work, place and purpose are important to most, if not in fact, all species.  Boredom is neither a happy nor normal state of existence for any living being.  
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Should the ban happen, I don't know what will become of the unemployed carriage drivers or the Mexican lady depending on them to buy dollar bags of carrots everyday. Hopefully and presumably, they find other ways of making a living.  Hopefully too, the hundreds of pigeons who have had such easy pickings all these years will find other means of food and survival.
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But, for the unemployed horses, the future is a lot less clear.
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Sean may have a beautiful home lined up for Betty Black. The question is for all the future Betty Blacks for whom the call from the Amish farmer will have no receiver?
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Various cliches come to mind in closing. "The road to hell is paved by good intentions." "Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent." "Everything is political."
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But, perhaps the one most pertinent here is, "They shoot horses, don't they?"  -- Only we told ourselves at the time of pulling the trigger, we were doing it for their own good.  -- PCA
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12 comments:

Steffie R said...

Wow, I find it very difficult to believe that you are an "animal rights activist." You also don't seem to have a grasp of the facts around horses or this issue in particular, and in the absence of that knowledge, you represent the perfect demographic for the industry's rhetoric and lies. basically every sentence is wrong.
Also you must not have ever seen a pigeon decapitated by the wheels of the carriages. Not hard to find, especially in summer. Just look down.

PCA said...

Steffie R: You say, "Basically every sentence is wrong" in what I wrote. What I wrote were mainly my observations over two days in addition to information from interviews. Some statistics were also provided, including 130,000 horses sent to slaughter every year from USA. That is a fact. If you are going to accuse others of being "wrong" or guilty of "rhetoric and lies" then it is incumbent upon you to provide proof of the allegations. This was in fact, the major point in what I wrote. -- That it is up to accusers and name-callers to provide evidence of their charges. Otherwise the accuser is guilty of the very things s/he heaps upon others.

PCA said...

With regard to claim that pigeons are "decapitated" by the wheels of a horse carriage,I have never seen this, but cannot claim it has never happened anywhere. It would be hard to believe in NYC as the horse carriages move so slowly that unless a pigeon was already seriously hurt and could not move, it seems nearly impossible. However, one certainly and sadly sees pigeons occasionally killed by fast cars in NYC. But we don't talk about "banning" cars.

Anonymous said...

Steffie R writes "...you don't seem to have a grasp of the facts around horses..." I may have additional comments later; in the meantime, do you have a grasp on the "facts" about horses.?" Do you now or ever had horses? I have adopted retired horses a few times. Some learned to jump competitively, some just rode casually, some pastured due to infirmity. In each case the connection was as clear as that between me or children and my dogs. Also, your repost suggests the "absence of knowledge." Read it again. A significant time was spent researching (the basis of acquiring "knowledge") this.

Anonymous said...

PCA, thank you for the article but more importantly one that is based on the time, research, questioning, and amazingly FACTs surrounding this issue. I haven't seen any of the antagonists provide anything close to this.

I also, on personal experience, think that your conclusions hang together and that the antagonists evidently have never had a relationship with large animal.

Relegating carriage horses, any working dog or for that matter any companion animal, to the position of suffrage diminishes to zero the animal's capacity for connection or love. My experience has been the opposite.

We have adopted (and therefore rescued - slaughter being the alternate outcome- large animals, horses, dogs) several times.

Horses like to work (could be jumping, could be pulling something, could be clearing brush; depends on the horse). Dogs like to work. (could be guarding the property, could be chasing down a frisbee or tennis ball, could be running down a squirrel or ferrel cat; depends on the dog). Point is: the antagonists view notwithstanding, idleness or in the case of one commenter "better off dead" is arrogant humanism on steroids.

Doug from the Mother Lode, California

PCA said...

Thank you, Doug from Ca for your comment.

I agree that relegating to suffrage, any animal that works with humans is to belittle and dismiss the reality that animals can connect to and enjoy a relationship with humans in this way.

We have to remember we are talking of animals who have been domesticated and conditioned through 6,000 years to work with humans. We are not talking of pulling wild mustangs from Wyoming and "forcing" them to work in Central Park. Such would obviously be extremely stressful to such animals and I daresay, impossible.

Personally, I would hate to see our beloved carriage horses "banned" from Central Park as we have already lost so many animals.

At one time we used to have sheep at Sheep Meadow, horses on the bridal path, rabbits at the Rambles and geese on our lakes and ponds at CP. The sheep, rabbits and riding horses are all gone and the geese are constantly being "hazed" to the point there are currently only four in CP now.

No, I don't want to see the same for the remaining horses we still have at CP and quite frankly, I am guessing the horses don't want that either. NYC might not be paradise but it is THEIR home and they are well acclimated to all that goes with life in the big city.

MistySue said...

PCA, as someone who spent their childhood and teen years with horses in the country, as someone who has seen horses thrive, I feel I must tell you that you sound very much like a lot of other urban dwellers who frankly don't know much about what it takes to keep horses healthy and the public safe, and more importantly you don't seem to have a grasp on what constitutes abuse when it comes to carriage horses. Many people envision "abuse" as someone standing over a horse with a whip. That is not what we animal advocates are referring to. We are referring to an environment that is hostile to the well being of horses, and that is any environment with heavy vehicular traffic. I'm sure you have seen many of the abuses that I've seen, you couldn't possibly miss them! According to Texas A & M Univ. NYC is one of the most congested cities in the world! Horses are prey animals, prey animals first instinct in reaction to fright is to bolt, and that is what the NYC carriage horses are doing in response to the hostile environment. They have repeatedly bolted, RIGHT INTO oncoming traffic! As an animal rights advocate you KNOW this, you have seen them with their noses flat on vehicles in front of them, you must have because I live here and I see it all the time! I don't think you understand that if you tether an animal 24/7, either to the carriage or the stall, you are being horribly cruel to that animal, especially a working horse who needs to be able to have fresh pasture at the end of EACH working day which these horse do not! 3 to 5 weeks out of a year does not make up for the pasture and rest that their bodies, legs, hooves, and shoulders need DAILY! The ASPCA investigators told me that dental problems are rampant among the NYC carriage horses! Do you have any idea what dental problems mean to a horse with a bit in their mouth over 8 hours a day? These things are all abuse PCA. Forcing horses to stand in puddles of water when they can be moved a few inches to dry land is also abuse, it can cause serious hoof problems and the carriage drivers are famous for forcing them to stand in puddles of water, we've all seen it. Central Park is a horrendous area for the horses because you have all kinds of human traffic and activity, ALL of which is frightening to horses and potential for more accidents. Smoothie was an example of what can happen when ignorant people start playing music next to a horse, there's music in Central Park, roller skaters, skateboarders, all of which have frightened these horses. And every time they are frightened not only is the horse at risk but so is the safety of the public. Lastly, if you are concerned about the horses going to slaughter where do you think they are going now when they can no longer make money? Only a few favorite horses get retired peacefully. Have the owners proven to you that thousands of horses are alive somewhere, have you seen these retired horses in your research? I promise you that you won't see more than a handful! You don't mention the transient horses, the horses that don't work out on our streets, do you honestly think the carriage owners are going to pay to keep alive an animal that doesn't work out as a carriage horse? It's sad to me that you have chosen to speak out on an issue that you clearly know nothing about, have not researched other than to speak to the drivers, and still call yourself an animal rights advocate. And despite your efforts to be friendly with the carriage industry, they haven't proven to you that thousands of working and transient horses that they have used are alive, they have never disclosed this information to the media either and they never will. We have seen pictures of a few favorite horses in the paper that are retired "somewhere". They invite us all to the stables, but do they invite us to see the thousands of retired horses? It will never happen.

Steffie R said...

Oh, goody. the carriage trade has found a new lackey, and blank sheet of paper on which to write its version of the truth. how original.

So going to the hack line for a couple of hours is good enough for you? that's interesting. Personal anecdotes, emotional impulses, fake/altruistic motivations--that's all very trendy cocktail party banter -- (sustainable meat blah blah blah) but it's an absurd base on which to make an informed and reasonable decision on this complex issue.

Activists who have done significant and substantial actual research often are accused by exploiters, bizarrely, of anthropomorphizing when nothing could be further from the truth. So in your world, for example, it's a good thing for the drivers to hold the reins (or "reigns," are you call them) loosely and operate as if on cruise control or in a trance; a good thing for pigeons and horses to commune and break bread, etc. Maybe you should look up some actual horsemanship sites or books about horses spooking, loss of control when a driver is out of the carriage (box), and things like that. you might want to really DIG and find out the truth of the Oreo spooking accident, not the accounts that published in error.

Obviously you don't spend much time at the hack line. You haven't lived until you've seen the decapitation -- by the back wheels, obviously--of pigeons. Just walk CPS and look down sometime. yes--I've seen happen in real time. More often though, it's the evidence that remains. there one minute, gone the next. I guess your interests lie with geese, not with pigeons or horses.

In any event, personal and feelings and sad little blog posts have no place in this issue. Really, if you were a politician, how could you reasonably be expected to deal with teary-eyed requests that reflect a personal problem rather than an actionable issue of importance to constituents? Take a pill.

Misrepresentation of the substantial global support for a ban may be gratifying, but it doesn't change the facts, the data, the knowledge base, the nature of horses, the political process, or the inevitable move toward a ban of carriage horse operations in NYC. It's on the way, so if this is the issue that is going to be your "claim to fame," then by all means, go for it. This blog is insignificant, these comments are not important, and the issue is being decided elsewhere.

In your heart of hearts, you must know that you are not well-informed about this issue and that you need to learn about it. You owe to yourself, to the horses, and to the issue. Leave your bf out of it and study the issue. Why not? What are you afraid of? Are you really go to make up your mind first, and then disregard the facts?

PCA said...

Its amazing that I have written thousands of posts on this blog about wildlife, cats and dogs, none of which Steffie or Missy have commented on. But for what they don't agree with, they have plenty to say.

Why don't you guys write your own blog and say whatever you want? I promise not to go to your blog and basically call you a moron.

But for you coming to mine to spout propaganda and insult, I don't appreciate it.

I live near Central Park and have observed carriage horses for years What I have consistenly seen are animals seemingly content in what they are doing. They are not straining to pull carriage, they are not "spooking," they don't appear at all to be "miserable," "starved," "abused" and suffering.

As said, I have seen enough TRUE suffering over many years of animal rescue to hopefully think I would recognize if seeing it now.

Again, since you guys have so nuch to say, start your own blog and I will be sure to avoid. Thank you.

Anonymous said...

Wow, Steffie, you sure took a fair amount of time and effort to malign a blog you describe as "insignificant" and its comments "unimportant." Think Shakespeare. Doug from the Gold Country, California.

portwashguy said...

Patty - Thank you for trying to find out the facts first hand. You are absolutely right to note that abused animals do not act the way these horses do - They are bright and alert and eager for human contact - I can't count the number of times that they have been the initiators, poking me with there head, seeking a pat or rub. I've never seen a single one of these horses retreat from people or not want to engage. "Miserable" "sad" horses don't act this way. It is so telling that none of the ban supporters will visit the stables and have unfiltered time to interact with the horses

PCA said...

Thank you so much, PortWashguy. I completely concur with your observations. Its truly a pity that with all the real abuses happening to animals, some choose to focus energy, money and attention on something where the animals actually seem to enjoy and benefit from bond and connection with humans.