Letters to the Editor
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‘Carriage Horses are Healthy, New Report Says’ and ‘Horse Sense’
The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is shocked at the New York Sun’s endorsement of the carriage horse industry, as well as the story that appeared recently announcing a vet’s findings that the carriage horses are in “excellent” health [New York, “Carriage Horses are Healthy, New Report Says,” March 27, 2008, and Editorial, “Horse Sense,” March 31, 2008].
We believe nothing could be further from the truth. Neither the New York City environment nor the current law provides horses with the fundamental necessities to ensure their safety and well being. For years, the carriage horses have been subject to working in bad conditions — some even dying in traffic accidents — and the laws protecting them are not always enforced.
Our position was underscored by an audit report on the “Licensing and Oversight of the Carriage Horse Industry” by the Departments of Health and Mental and Consumer Affairs released last September by the comptroller of New York City.
The report pointed out the lack of required number of inspections of horse-drawn carriages, an absence of veterinary examinations in the field, the presence of too many passengers in carriages, and the lack of designated formal hack stands that result in horses often standing in their own waste without shade or water.
It’s no surprise that Dr. John Lowe’s findings praised the horses’ conditions, since he was commissioned by the Horse and Carriage Horse Association to complete his report. Further, your story says that horses were observed in stables, and not when they were working, which the audit report clearly states is needed. Your readers have no way of knowing how much time Dr. Lowe spent with each horse, what criteria he used to determine if they were healthy, or how many horses he actually examined.
The carriage horse industry is an archaic one that has no place in the 21st century, let alone the financial capital of our country. Let’s bring New York into the present and protect these noble animals at the same time.
EDWIN SAYRES
President & CEO
American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
New York, N.Y.
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