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A few days ago, a friend asked me on Facebook if I supported the carriage horse industry in NYC? I answered "yes," and suggested she read this blog for the reasons why. She told me she "had no time to read" and promptly unfriended me.
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The experience was unsettling, not so much for losing a so-called, "friend" but because the person took this kind of action without any consideration to anything I actually had to say on the subject. All dialogue and future interaction was simply and immediately cut off.
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Other people have also unfriended or, in one case, barred me from a Wildlife page that was near and dear to the heart. This, despite the fact I have actually posted very little on the carriage horse issue to my FB page other than personal blog postings. (In all the years on Facebook, I have never unfriended or blocked anyone from personal pages, though there have been occasional disagreements on various issues.)
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So, what is it about disagreement on this particular issue that seems to stir such animosity and retribution?
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I am not sure as actual dialogue on the issue has been difficult and seemingly non-existent among my friends in Animal Rights, though there was one actual conversation on the subject.
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But, that conversation was not on the merits or lack thereof regarding the campaign to ban carriage horses in NYC.
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It was more accusation of me being a "traitor" to the cause of AR and "going to the dark side." -- Accusations that were not greatly appreciated and rather, quite hurtful.
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But, in trying to understand where this person was coming from, it was explained to me, that a failure of the horse ban to pass in NYC would be viewed as "catastrophic" to the overall cause of Animal Rights -- apparently because so much time, manpower, money and resources have been devoted to it (as well as a number of reputable AR groups getting behind it).
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I answered, "That is only true for those individuals and/or organizations who hung their hat on this weakest of all animal abuse issues."
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And that is what I truly believe.
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I believe that "abuse" and "torture" are not terms to throw around lightly. Rather, they are loaded and inflammatory terms that particularly when alleged against individuals, require actual evidence to the charges. (The same is true for allegations of "animal cruelty," "starving animals" or "working animals to death.")
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I've spent many hours personally observing the carriage horses in Central Park, talking to drivers and owners, reading virtually everything on the subject (from both sides) and trying to come to reasonable and truthful conclusion.
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What has not been seen is consistent and demonstrable evidence to the charges.
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Have there been unfortunate incidents over the many decades of carriage horses in NYC?
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Yes.
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Have there been horses that tragically fell through the cracks of either safety or guaranteed safe retirement?
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Yes.
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But, does the entire industry or the mere act of a horse pulling a carriage in CP (or even through city streets) constitute "abuse" or "torture?"
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In my humble opinion, no.
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There are of course, people who get upset at seeing any animal work. But, that is subjective unless it can be shown that the animal is being starved, beaten, neglected or otherwise forced to do something s/he clearly does not want to do or is incapable of doing.
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None of these things apply to the carriage horses of Central Park. On the contrary, they appear content and more than willing and capable of performing the comparatively easy tasks they are assigned. Moreover, there are hundreds of pages of regulations, laws and protocols to insure their proper care, welfare and safety.
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Can there be more? Sure. Is there room for improvement? Absolutely. Certainly, it seems a desirable and achievable goal, for example, that working horses have access to pasturing and grass on their off days. (Perhaps on that note, all the money being pumped into "banning" horses in CP might better be directed towards aiding to purchase some small patch of land for such purposes.)
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Because there is so little in actual "abuse" to point to, in recent days some anti-carriage folks are jumping on things like pigeons sharing horse feed or someone dipping a foot in the horse water trough to demonstrate a "horrible existence" for the horses. But these contentions are straw grasping. The horse industry is not responsible for pigeons being attracted to horses and their feed (and occasionally meeting an unfortunate end via car or carriage collision) nor is it responsible for human slobs disrespecting the purpose of the water troughs.
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Nevertheless, despite the lack of merit and evidence to most of the wildly inflammatory and exaggerated charges, the mayor of NYC is still on board for this absolutist call for an all out ban of carriage horses in our city. Like some on Facebook, deBlasio apparently cuts people off (and in this case, an entire industry) without any attempt at dialogue or examination of actual facts. He is apparently beholden to the people and money that helped to drive him into office.
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So, what are we likely to see if an actual ban succeeds?
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While it can be assumed that the ASPCA and HSUS would throw in big bucks to "save" the current carriage horses by paying off rescues to take them (it would be great fundraising PR for them), those 220 rescue spots would then be lost to other horses who so desperately need and are literally dying for them. -- Not to mention all the future horses who would not have easy CP jobs to come to when owners seek to give them up or they can no longer perform the hard labor on Amish farms or win medals on the trotting track.
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Depending upon how much time we are talking about, this potentially condemns many thousands of horses to eventually going to slaughter for lack of a steady, easy and secure job to go to.
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It is hard to see how this all comports with an otherwise philosophy of "Animal Rights" (unless rights means being ultimately banished from the planet as some are banished on the Internet).
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A few minutes ago, my friend, Liliana called to inform me that "Geese Police" is back in Central Park. -- This despite the fact there are only 7 geese in the 843 acre park.
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Reportedly, Geese Police is there to harass and chase out any migratory geese when they arrive and stop to take brief rest at CP.
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I told my friend, "We are watching first hand, the insanity unfold and prevail."
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The craziness looms all about, whether seeking to ban horses clip clopping through a park or harassing birds who have traveled thousands of miles and simply seek safe place to stop and briefly rest for a few hours.
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But, isn't it strange how those who work so hard to banish animals from our midst tell us it is either for the animals own good or that (in the case of Central Park Conservancy), "We care deeply about wildlife."
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With friends like these, both, domestic animals and wildlife don't need enemies.
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I told my friend, not to worry or despair.
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"In a few years when the horses and geese are completely gone from Central Park, we can rejoice in the vintage cars, while telling ourselves how much the leaders and people of New York City love and celebrate animals and wildlife."
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