It has been a long debate whether or not horse carriages should be allowed on New York City streets. Animal activists have been lobbying for years to have the horse carriages removed or at least some restrictions be put in place. Just last year legislation was proposed to ban the horse carriages altogether from New York City’s streets.
A new independent film called “Blinders” was created and directed by Danny Moss. He decided to create the film after the death of a carriage horse three years ago. Moss is an animal lover and uses his film to demonstrate why he thinks carriage horses should not share city streets with cars. In the film Moss presents three major issues: Safety, Housing and Disposal. To create the film, Moss conducted extended research and interviewed veterinarians, animal rights activists, accident witnesses, politicians, carriage drivers and tourists. Using hidden cameras he captured behind-the-scenes footage. Moss even attended a class for carriage drivers.
Moss states to Equus Magazine: “I consider myself to be an animal lover. I do think there is light at the end of the tunnel. I don’t know if it’s going to happen through legislation, but I hope that the city council isn’t waiting for a human death to do the right thing.”
The film documents how the horses are treated, even going to show the conditions in which they live (a concrete stall on the second or third floor in a building), as well as open wounds and horses with emaciation showing their ribs.
The question is – should carriages be banned? Horses are individuals that have feelings. Would you want your dog or horse treated this way? Would you want your horse breathing in exhaust fumes day in and day out? New York City Mayor Bloomberg says the carriages are what draw tourists into the city. While there may be some truth to that, why not settle on a compromise and restrict the carriages to Central Park and install some mandates on how the horses should be treated and cared for. Something to consider…it is us humans as the tourists that charter the carriages that continue to keep them in business.
Comments
Just another dumb Environmentalist trying to scare the public into taking away something that is a staple part of the culture in new york city
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