"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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