No water to lead carriage horses to in NYC?
Newsday.com posted the following blurb:
NEW YORK - An animal welfare group claims that carriage horses along Manhattan’s Central Park South aren’t getting enough drinking water. But the city says that isn’t so.
The Coalition to Ban Horse-Drawn Carriages complained Monday that two water troughs in Central Park have been shut off for the season. The city’s Health Department, which regulates the horses, said plenty of water is available at hydrants used by carriage drivers with buckets.
Officials added that most of the horses weren’t working on Monday because of the cold.
In all the numerous times I have seen the carriages horses in New York City, they have been clear-eyed, well shod with clean noses and generally well looked after. The ones who appear underweight are normally horses new to the line who have been rescued from the Amish, who have a less then stellar record when it comes to how they work and care for their horses.
Carriage horses in Manhattan work one shift per day, either the morning or evening. I have always observed plenty of water, and when the horses want to stop for a drink they are allowed to, even with a carriage full. However, it is reassuring to know the coalition is so vigilant.
Are the horses bored? Perhaps.
Have you ever seen a horse who is required to stand around a lot when at work, such as a carriage horse or a police horse? Have you noticed that they have their heads lowered slightly and one of their back feet turned under? They are not striking that pose because they are bored or despondent. They are napping.
Horses sleep three different ways and normally do all of them at least once a day. They are — 1. dozing standing up, 2. napping lying down flat or with their a leg or legs tucked up underneath them (especially when turned out), and 3. deep sleeping lying down with their legs stretched out. It is said that horses have REMs, and dream just like we do. Also like us, if horses do not get their daily quota of sleep, they can get mighty grumpy.
Personally, I cannot say I am enamored of horse drawn carriages in metropolitan areas, but there are far worse things that happen to horses every single day in our fair nation than work as a carriage horse, at least in New York City.
When horses are mixed with traffic, tragedies can and do happen, such as the death of Brownie last year. There were more than just grieving New Yorkers at Brownie’s vigil. There were plenty of drivers in attendance too, who still choke back tears if you ask them about it, some saying it was the worst day of their lives as a Gotham carriage driver.
The number one city we receive complaints about in connection with carriage horses is Atlanta.
Atlanta is the number one city on our list we feel should not be allowed to have a carriage horse trade because they neither care about the horses nor regulate it in any way, shape or form insofar as we can ascertain. None of the many people we have contacted at the city of Atlanta’s government offices have been responsive, and some have been downright rude, going so far as to hang up.
Reports of all types of abuses come to us, and these are only the ones readily apparent when the carriage horses are out on the streets of Atlanta. Heaven knows what goes on back at the stables. To date, we have been unable to get anyone in any of them. I believe a protest is in order there.
Do you have carriages horses where you live? Have you observed them and have a question or wish to report a concern? Please email us at info at fund4horses dot org.
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Hello,
Let me introduce myself, my name is Amanda Araim and I own Nottingham Shire & Carriage For HIre, based out of downtown Atlanta. We have been operating carriages in Atlanta since 2000 and currently run five carriages on the street.
When I found the article online titled “No water to lead carriage horses to in NYC” I was appalled at the inaccuracy of your story regarding the carriage horses in Atlanta.
To begin with, I was NEVER contacted about visiting our stable as you article indicates “we have been unable to get anyone in any of them.” You must have skipped my company? Our office number is 404-622-0526, we always answer the phone unless we are on the other line, in which we return messages ASAP. Drivers can be found getting ready at our stable after 5pm daily and are used to folks stopping by to peek at the horses..
We have NOTHING to hide at our stable. In fact, you can easily see all our horses from the road in front of our property. Our horses roam on 2 acres in the city and graze hay at their leisure when not working during the day (the carriages don’t operate until after 6pm).
We have potential customers come out on a regular basis to personally pick horses and carriages for weddings. We have NEVER turned anybody away from coming to our stable. We are very proud of what we have and have nothing to hide or be ashamed about. Every single one of our street horses also competes in local draft horse shows as well as trail riding. Please check out our website, http://www.carriageforhire.com Each horse has their own page with a lot of pictures.
As far as lack of regulation, you must not have researched very far into it or you would have found the Taxicab Bureau and Vehicles For HIre, a division under the Atlanta Police Department. Not only do the inspectors enforce our ordinances, they are also in charge of permitting drivers of horse drawn carriages. Here’s a link to their site:
http://www.atlantapd.org/Index.asp?nav=VFH&menu=6
The Taxicab Bureau has been enforcing the ordinances on the carriages since the 1980s..
Here’s a link to our city ordinances, which have been established since the 1980s, with additions throughout the 1990s http://www.municode.com/Resources/gateway.asp?pid=10376&sid=10
Please note equine drawn ordinances starting at Article 2, Section 162, Division 7.
I encourage you to read over our ordinances or even contact the Taxicab Bureau and Vehicles For Hire (404-658-7600) and ask them how often the inspectors are at the stables doing carriage and stable inspections, not to mention inspectors standing at our carriage stands on a nightly basis when we are on the street. We have some of the tightest enforcement of any city I have been to and it just shocks me how incorrect your article is when you state “they neither care about the horses nor regulate it in any way, shape or form insofar as we can ascertain..”
Besides our city inspectors we see on a daily basis, we also have the GA Dept of Agriculture perform random inspections at the stables as well as the carriage stands downtown.
If your story is true when you state that “none of the many people we have contacted at the city of Atlanta’s government offices have been responsive, and some have been downright rude, going so far as to hang up” I am very sorry, but unless you contact the right department I doubt you will get far.
When you do call the Taxicab Bureau to report a problem you see, you will not get anywhere unless you have the carriage number and company name.
There are several companies in Atlanta. Each carriage has a number on either side of the carriage and the rear of the carriage. Each company name and office number is listed on the rear of the carriage.
If you have a complaint, you need to report the carriage number and company to the Taxicab Bureau at 404-658-7600. If it is after hours you can dial their non-emergency after hours number 404-658-6666.
The Taxicab Bureau stresses that you must note the carriage number and company name in order for the bureau to review the complaints by a committee and possibly impact the license of the driver and company. We are trying very hard to get rid of the few “bad apples” that make the whole industry look bad.
I beg you to please do your research before you print articles in the future.
Please do not hesitate to call me personally if you have any questions or comments.
Thank you,
Amanda Araim
Nottingham Shire & Carriage For HIre
556 Tift St
Atlanta, GA 30310
404-622-0526
http://www.carriageforhire.com