NYC CARRIAGE HORSES LIVE IN A CONCRETE JUNGLE!

West Side Livery  - looks dismal

Horse experts say that a horse should have pasture time every day for 16 to 18 hours.

They recommend between 1 and 1 ½ acres of pasture per horse.  This is where the horses graze, exercise, hang out with his herd, play, mutually groom each other – a great stress reliever.  

But alas, it does not exist in NYC.     New York City carriage horses have no turnout to pasture. 

Instead, the stables are old warehouse-like buildings with no access to green pasture.  When a horse finishes his nine-hour workday, he is taken back to the stable and put in his inadequately sized stall until the next day.  The stalls are less than half what experts recommend – 60 sq. ft legally – as opposed to 144 –196 sq. ft.   This is like squeezing Cinderella’s sister’s foot into her slipper.   The horses cannot lie down comfortably and stretch out their limbs.  Only a few years ago, it was actually worse - 48 sq. ft.  And the "industry," always in denial,  defended it. 

Is the horse washed and groomed after he returns from working when he is still sweaty?  Or is he groomed in the morning when he is taken out to work having had to stay the night in his sweat?  Or does it happen at all?  There are no legal requirements and it is expected that these “horse experts” will do what is right for the horse and not themselves.  But we have seen some of the horses with urine and feces stains on their hides and many look like they have not been brushed and groomed in a long time.

But hey – what do we know – the carriage supporters say we know nothing about horses while they have all the answers.  Our complaints are met with defensive insults and denials. This is their M.O. 

For five weeks out of the year, horses are required by law to be sent for “furlough.”  The NYC Department of Health claims not to have a record of the farms, nor do they inspect them.  It is not required.  The public does not know if these horses are made to work, are fed properly – or are kept in a stall for the duration of their time away.    It is simply not known.  In a NY Post article dated November 2, 2011, Dr. Pamela Corey, former director of equine veterinary services of the ASPCA’s humane law-enforcement department said, “We have observed some horses returning to New York City after furloughs on a farm in worse condition than when they left.”  No one ever investigated this statement.  

But the gullible media – never wanting to challenge an issue – refers to this time away as a “vacation” – not understanding that this word is a human concept. 

These horses do not need vacation.  They need daily turnout.  And they do not get it. 

Experts say that pastured horses are generally happier than stabled horses.  It is a more natural lifestyle allowing them the opportunity to socialize with their herd; roll, play or do nothing if they choose.  They have the opportunity for natural exercise.  They get to act like real horses – not horse slaves.     

NYC carriage horse standing over a manhole from which steam is pouring. 

This is an excellent article called “Pasturing Guidelinesfor Horses” written by Dr. Judy Marteniuk, equine extension veterinarian at Michigan State University, College of Veterinary Medicine.  

So the next time you see a carriage horse pulling a carriage around Central Park, please know that he does not live in the park.  Those green lawns are simply a tease.  And know that these gentle  horses are quietly suffering because they do not live like they should.  

This is yet another reason to close down this inhumane and abusive business and save the horses.  

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NYC CARRIAGE TRADE SINKS TO NEW LOW

Inappropriate and incendiary  comments on Facebook.

The NYC carriage trade has sunk to a new low and is sadly, desperately and shockingly  exploiting the recent horrific shootings at the Sandy Hook elementary school.  Trying to get their readers to sympathize with them against those who want their exploitative business shut down, the Vice President of the NYC Horse and Carriage Association posted several very incendiary comments on a carriage industry Facebook page that is open to the public.  The comments, which can only be interpreted as a call to action,  began on December 19, 2012.

She posted a picture of a group of activists from another organization and criticized them for being at the hack line demonstrating against the carriage drivers.  The group was actually handing out informational  flyers to the public.   They had posed for a group photo.  If she sincerely felt they should not have been there, then perhaps the drivers should also not have worked out of respect for the people who live in Newtown, CT.   

But we all know that is not what it was about. 

Apparently wanting to stay in the good graces of their leader, her supporters made comments like “I think some people need to get a life; despicable people that lack the sensitivity gene; Inappropriate timing!!!;  lock these nuts up; the same people would say ho-hum if they were shown a picture of an aborted baby;  ignorance knows now [sic] bounds."

But then it started to get really crazy: [names are left out for our protection.] **  

Inappropriate and incendiary  comments on Facebook.

Inappropriate and incendiary  comments on Facebook.

Dangerously making accusations of terrorism 

This is not rational behavior.  

And then she went one step further and alleged in another  post on the same Facebook Page that her  husband took a family with young children for a carriage ride.  And guess where they came from according to this woman?  Newtown.  She goes on about how the families were coming to NYC to take carriage rides to get away from the media presence and how they will instead be met with activists.  

This is part of what she said: 

“Well, if those folks come to NYC and want to treat their children to a carriage ride to brighten their day, there is a good chance they will be accosted by the miserable, vile, despicable, sick maniacs who call themselves "animal rights" people who will be protesting the carriages all weekend and into next week. These folks and their children will be greeted by lunatics waving poster-sized photos of old and rare carriage accidents, dead horses, blood and wreckage.”

And of course, once again her non-thinking fan club comments, agreeing with her.  

"how people can be so vile is beyond me; And I so wish I could come home for a week, hang out with some carriage horses & their people.  I would exercise my rights.  I'd claim I was in fear for my life of the protesters ... I'd open a large can of whoop ass."  

Until one thinking person said:  

But did you think the followers would see that what she said made sense?   No, of course not.  Instead, this is what some said (identifying names left out): 

 "xxx - what you said made no sense - she was saying how worried she is -- shame on you.  [liked 3 times]; XXX you are a complete and total ASSHAT.  The only people capitalizing on Newtown are the bloodthirsty degenerate ghouls in the lame-ass media, with their 24/7 glurge (and shamefully that includes FOX NEWS) and the jugheads like the anti-2nd amendment contingent who are going to try and exploit it to push their Nazi agenda. My only regret is that I cannot reach right through the screen and slap some sense into you.  If that is even possible.  Now feel free to return your head to your ass.  Since that is obviously where it lives; Thanks again, XXX.  (liked 3 times) Then show then show that you have some character and apologize to XXX.; omfg ... what a supreme f**king nasty b**tch .. bite us."  

Charming!

Of course no one speaks to Ms. Thing like that.  This is her reply to the lone dissenter.  Although her original post  uses the "real" vulgar words (no asterisks for her,)  I have added the asterisks because the language is very offensive.  

  

Hey [blocked]  - I don't know who you think you are talking to. You have some F*****G NERVE telling me that I am not sincere - this is a TRUE story, and it is EATING AT MY GUT since I heard it. You're 'aware' of f*****g NOTHING. Shame on YOU for not giving a s**t that kids are ROUTINELY exposed to these LUNATICS and their despicable behavior. As for the video, there are LOTS more, some taken last week -- better yet, why not come up at see for yourself? I don't 'sputter' - I SPEAK, loudly and clearly. And I don't give a s**t if you are 100% pro-carriage or against - people like YOU we don't need.

Psychologists have explained that this kind of behavior is irresponsible.  This is a quote attributed to  David Matsumoto from an article in an academic journal earlier this year.  

"When leaders express a combination of anger, contempt and disgust in their speeches, it seems to be instrumental in inciting a group to act violently," said Matsumoto, professor of psychology of San Francisco State University.  

What do you think? Are these irrational people dangerous?  Should we be concerned?    Many of them have no idea what the NYC carriage trade is about but they will defend it to the end.  They hate anyone who cares about animals.  

** - We have screen shots, including the names of those who posted and have reported this to the appropriate authorities.

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Can They Suffer?

A byproduct of the carriage industry is the killing of pigeons, who scavenge for food in the streets and are run over by the wheels of the carriages. Look at the ground on any given day, and you are likely to see the carnage. 

On a recent day at the hack line, we glanced over and saw this sad sight--a freshly run over pigeon who bled to death on the street. We hope it was a mercifully quick passing. An activist who is a regular at our demos went over to the stricken pigeon and tenderly picked him up,  unconcerned about the blood that dripped onto her gloves and scarf. She took him to a grassy area, near some shrubs, where another dead pigeon lay, perhaps having been pulled out of the street by a passerby. Seeing this, the carriage drivers taunted us, laughing and making crude remarks about trying to run over the pigeons. 

Perhaps the drivers' behavior is a defense mechanism or a grief response--we don't know. What they appear to be trying to tell us, though, is that they have a callous disregard for non-human life forms--a disconnect from other sentient beings. It does not bode well for the horses. A robust body of evidence has shown there is a "toxic triad" of animal cruelty, child abuse, and domestic violence. In other words, violent people generally practiced first on animals. But back to the present moment and the hack line, where the sight of a carriage driver who ignores the suffering of doves raises real questions about how that driver treats his or her horses.

Finally, from a pragmatic standpoint, the sight of crushed and bloodied pigeons--sometimes decapitated--is a terrible image for tourists, including young children. If the enforcement agencies did their jobs and cited drivers for failing to cover their feed pails, some of these casualties might be avoided. 

Pigeons are smart, loyal creatures. Some may know that pigeons served the United States in wartime (Cher Ami's brave dedication to the mission led to the rescue of 194 soldiers in Major Charles Whittlesey's "Lost Battalion.") But let us not make the mistake of equating another animal's intellectual capacity to his right to live or her ability to suffer. As the moral philosopher Jeremy Bentham said, "The question is not, 'Can they reason?' nor, 'Can they talk?' but rather, 'Can they suffer?'"

TIMES SQUARE IS NO PLACE FOR CARRIAGE HORSES

To some Times Square may be the “cross roads” of the world – to horses, it is their worst nightmare.   Domesticating horses never meant to put them to work on the hard unforgiving asphalt surfaces of New York City streets—where their natural instinct to graze  is thwarted because there is no grass.  It was never meant to make them wear blinders to kill their peripheral vision and put  them in an uncompromising position stuck between the shafts of their carriage in an extremely noisy environment – all to make a few bucks for their owner.   It did not mean that it was acceptable to subject these gentle creatures to the loud insanity of Times Square that many native New Yorkers avoid because it is such an awful affront to the senses.  Horses, having such sensitive ears with excellent hearing, are more reactive to loud noises than we are.  I can only imagine that they either go into a meditative trance because they have no choice or become totally dispirited and psychologically broken down.  It is not natural and it is cruel.  

It is amazing that more of the horses on the street do not spook and bolt as Oreo did recently on Central Park South as his driver was making an illegal u-turn.  It begs the question if some of the drivers are not putting cotton into the horses’ ears to prevent them from hearing well in the hope they will not spook and bolt.  After all they wear blinders to affect their peripheral vision – why not earplugs?   This is not unheard of in some horse competitions. 

Horses are allowed to work in Times Square in the evenings until 3:00 am.   Take a look at these pictures and this video.  These horses do not belong on the streets of New York City.  What possible attraction could there be to riding in a carriage on crowded, filthy, smelly streets with bright lights and excessive noise led by a dispirited horse whose vision and probably hearing are impaired?  

Where is our humanity?  How can we continue to allow this inhumane and unsafe business to exist in New York City?   Luckily, many people want it to end – all polls since 2006 have shown that between 75 and 80 percent of respondents want this business to be shut down. 

This is why we support the Avella/Rosenthal bill in the NYS legislature to prohibit the use of horse-drawn carriages in New York City.  

Join with us and sign this petition. 

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STOP THE INSANITY!

WHAT WILL IT TAKE TO STOP THE INSANITY?  

 Did you know that the ban of the carriage horse trade is dependent on the success of the "electric cars, " which may never happen and if they do, their fate will be left up to tourists?   

injured driver

What is it going to take to shut down the inhumane and unsafe carriage trade in NYC?  This question is now being asked with new fervor in light of the recent accident involving a spooked horse. 

Human injuries do not seem to matter – be it a broken hip suffered by an elderly bike rider a few years back or more minor scratches and bruises; a driver in a coma for months close to death; injured horses like the recent Oreo or Doreen, Bud and Charlie to name a few – or the dead horses – Tony, Spotty, Jackie, Charlie, Juliette, Smoothie – and these are just the ones that immediately come to mind. 

WHO can end the carriage trade in New York City and why are they not doing anything about it considering that every online poll since 2006 has shown between 75 and 80 percent  of respondents want this business to be shut down?

1. Mayor Michael Bloomberg can use his influence to get such bills passed.  But he supports this business.  Why?  The real truth is anyone’s guess because it simply does not make sense.   His daughter is a world-class equestrian, known to oppose this trade – surely she knows that New York City is a very bad environment for horses and I am sure she would never subject her horses to these conditions.  
2. The Speaker of the City Council, Christine Quinn, can do the same.  She, too, is a big supporter of the carriage trade.  Why?  It is clearer here because of her allegiance to the Queens Democratic Party, which put her in power.  It is all politics.  But then, Quinn has killed every meaningful animal issues bill that has been in the Council since she became Speaker – so she obviously does not care. 
3. The City Council - The Council is not a democratic body.  For the most part, which means almost always, Council Members  vote the way the Speaker tells them.  If not, they risk losing their committee chairs and lucrative stipends that the Speaker doles out.  Unfortunately, there are virtually no City Council Members with a backbone to stand up to Quinn and say – “Enough is Enough!  Let’s get those horses off the street before someone is killed.” 
4. The State Legislature – there is a real chance here with the bill sponsored by Senator Tony Avella and Assemblymember Linda Rosenthal.  The bill is essentially the same as the historic one Senator Avella introduced in the City Council in 2007 when he was a Council Member.  One big problem with this bill is that it needs a Home Rule approval memo from the City Council, which is unlikely to happen.  However, the bill will be reintroduced in January when the State Legislature reconvenes and it will address these issues.  Stay tuned. 
5. A new humane mayor.  Ah there is the rub.  Who will it be?  

Oreo  - victim of accident

On September 23^rd, Senator Tony Avella was interviewed by the Queens Chronicle about the  September 16^th accident in which Oreo, a young carriage horse, spooked on Central Park South from a truck or loud construction noise as his driver was making an illegal u-turn.  He bolted into traffic, dragging his carriage with two tourists, sans driver, behind him, crashing into cars as he panicked.  He was eventually stopped and tranquilized by police.  This  never should have happened.  NYC traffic is an abomination and is no place for such a volatile,  unpredictable and powerful  animal.   

“Enough is enough,” Avella  said. “How many more accidents, injuries and deaths is it going to take before we end this inhumane industry?  

One of the carriage drivers caught on videotape countered with the response ”accidents happen.”  Christina Hansen, spokesperson for the Horse and Carriage Association of New York,  said, "Just because a horse once in a blue moon spooks, doesn’t mean something terrible is going to happen." Fox News 8-17-12.  Many people would beg to differ.  There is no necessity for the carriage horse business to exist and thus, no accidents need occur. 

Horses are nervous prey animals who can spook and bolt at the slightest provocation.  At 1,500 to 2,000 pounds, they become unwitting weapons and can seriously injure or kill themselves or bystanders.  In 2010, a bystander was killed in Saltzburg, Austria  when a spooked horse plowed into her.   She died from head  injuries. 

So why is the City Council not standing up to Christine Quinn and demanding a true ban – instead of trying to pass the destructive electric car bill?    With this bill, a ban of the horses will depend on the success of the electric cars, which are much too expensive and probably will not happen.  They are wasting their time and the time of trusting activists.  At approximately $175,000 per car, the supporters would need to raise $11,900,000 to replace 68 carriages over a three-year period.  This is not realistic.  They apparently have not even been able to raise $400,000 for the prototype.  One scenario, and the worst thing that can happen,  is that they would  only be able to raise a few million dollars for perhaps ten cars.  Investors lose interest and are maxed out because the cars are not catching on.  Why invest in a white elephant?  Then this cruel and unsafe business will never be banned.  The cars will coexist alongside the carriage horses, which is never what any of us wanted.  Accidents will continue to happen. 

And it is all because the ASPCA, PETA,  HSUS and NY Class  will not support and put their collective energy behind a real ban  - i.e. the Avella/Rosenthal bill -  and have convinced some people to support a bill that will be a disaster if passed. What animal organizations are doing with pretending to create a new tourist industry instead of supporting and putting their energy into a full ban is beyond my comprehension. 

And please let’s forget this drivel about keeping tourist dollars.  Most people come to NYC for something other than a ride on a carriage.  When someone pays $50 for a carriage ride, considering it is a cash only business, how much of that is turned over to the government for taxes?  Other than during the holiday season, the carriages often do not have customers.  If NY Class, the creator of this project, wants to sponsor an electric car business, let them do it  - but after the carriage trade is shut down and the horses are safe.  A ban of the horse-drawn carriage trade should not be dependent on the success of the electric cars.  

Jobs?  The carriage drivers will not drive the electric cars because they are opposed to this new industry.   So even if the cars happen, the hired drivers will come from another job pool.  It is not a  “win/win” as the supporters like to promote.  It will not save those particular jobs. 

And about those particular jobs?  The  drivers have been put on notice for many years that something like this would happen.  How much longer are legislators going to allow them to hold NYC hostage?  And how much longer are people who want a ban going to let the City Council get away with inaction?  There are only about 150 people in the business who are full time.  Why is the City Council making such a big deal about this?   Other people lose their jobs and no one is crying about them – including government workers, corporate workers, and those who work in stores that have shut down because of high rents or neighborhood gentrification.  Why is this trade so entitled?  That said – Assemblymember Linda Rosenthal has said she will work with the drivers to find them new employment.  And the good news is that jobs in the tourist sector have grown.  

Read what Councilmember Vincent Gentile says about the cars in an interview he gave to the Brooklyn Daily Eagle on August 22 in an article entitled. Gentile works on horse carriage compromise.  

 - Gentile said that while he has respect for animal rights advocates, he is also aware of the importance of carriage horses to the city’s tourist industry, an industry that brings in millions of dollars a year.   

Because carriage driving is a cash only business, Council Member Gentile has no idea how much the carriage trade brings in and should not be making these kinds of statements without providing proof.  Other than during the holiday season in November and December, the carriages are often seen lined up with no passengers and bored horses.  

 - “It’s a tourist attraction, so we have to be careful. You want to protect the carriage horses and you want to protect the jobs of the people who operate the carriage horses,” he said.

Why is the City being held a prisoner to this business?  Unless this tie is broken, there will never be any progress.  Why is it so necessary to protect these jobs and not those of so many other people who have lost their jobs in this economy?  

And this from the article:

Under the pilot program, the carriage horses would co-exist with electric-powered cars, Gentile said. Tourists would be given a choice of whether they would want to ride around Central Park and midtown in a quiet car, or a horse-drawn carriage.

“And we would let the public decide which is better,” the councilman said.

This is the kicker and the reason why this bill is dangerous and should not be supported! Why should the public – tourists who may never come back to NYC – decide about the safety of New Yorkers and the future of the carriage horses?  This is a frightening and absurd statement! 

The carriage horse business has proven itself to be very unsafe and must be shut down.  What is the City Council waiting for – a death?  Will that even make them stand up and take real action? 

Since more and more people have become aware of our organization, which started the ban campaign in 2006, we have been hearing from people about carriage horse accidents.  In the last year there have been about 11 incidents in NYC that we let the press know about.  The drivers are not required to report accidents – such as spooked horses or being clipped by a car – and the ASPCA ‘s Humane Law Enforcement division is not subject to the Freedom of Information Law.  They have knowledge of many more accidents but refuse to make the information public.  

The only bill worthy of support to shut down this anachronistic business and save the horses is the one in Albany sponsored by Senator Tony Avella and Assemblymember Linda Rosenthal. – S5013/A7748.  It will be reintroduced in January and will address concerns about Home Rule.  

In the meantime, please sign our petition on Change.org in support of this bill.  E-mails will automatically be sent to state legislators.   

  

And please disabuse yourself of the idea that Intro 86A, the bill necessary to pass to create the electric cars, will help the carriage horses.  There is a great possibility it will hurt the horses in the long run. 

Let’s shut down the carriage business first.   

Save the horses – and if “they” still want to go through with the electric cars – I say “knock yourself out.” 

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The Coalition to Ban Horse-Drawn Carriages started the "ban campaign" in 2006.  We are all grass roots activists with no paid employees.  Our sole concern is to shut down the carriage trade and save the horses.  Visit us at www.banhdc.org; e-mail us for our newsletter at coalition@banhdc.org and join our Facebook page by clicking here.  

MUCH TOO HOT TO TROT

 NYC Carriage Horses Suffer From the Heat

NYC carriage drivers love their horses?    You be the judge.

This has been a very hot summer with many days well into the 90s with  high humidity.

The two videos linked below were taken on the same day, August 4, 2012,  by two different people and of different horses.   It never reached  90 degrees on the hack line that day, which is the temperature at which the ASPCA officers can suspend the line and order the drivers to return their horses to the stables.  Humidity is not a consideration.

But that Saturday was  very humid and the heat index was 97 according to weather.com.  It was a steam bath.  Very uncomfortable and hard to breath for humans and just as difficult, if not more so, for the horses. 

The first video called NYC Carriage Horse Exhausted  shows a carriage horse at the hack line on Central Park South  breathing hard - he is essentially panting.  His respiration rate is about 100 breaths a minute.  The normal respiration  resting rate for a horse should be 18 to 16 breaths per minute according to AgriLife Extension - Texas A&M System.  They also state that the rate for a fit horse who has been exercising should be reduced to  40 or 50 breaths per minute within 10 or 15 minutes.  The person who took this video had been watching for some time - more than 10 minutes.

The Horse.com also has an informative article about breathing rates.  Watch the video within this article -- How to Take Your Horse's Vital Signs.   As a bystander, it is very possible to check the breathing rate of carriage horses. 


On the video, when asked  how many hours the horses have to work to get a break, the driver answered "seven hours."   Actually the law requires a 15 minute break every two hours, which is on paper only since it is impossible to enforce.   If the driver meant that the horses work seven hours a day, that is also incorrect.  Legally, horses may work nine hours a day, seven days a week. 

The second video called Heat Stress was also taken on Central Park South.  This horse, too, was breathing hard.  Notice his ribs showing and the metal check rein, which prevents him from lowering his head.

In June, 2007, the NYC Comptroller's Office published an  audit of the Department of Health and Department of Consumer Affair's oversight of the carriage trade. This was one of their findings on p. 11: 

"During the summer months, the asphalt where the horses line up becomes very hot.  Other materials, such as concrete,  would be easier on the horses' hooves.  In addition, on hot days, there is little shade for the horses, which could cause them to overheat." 

Nothing was ever done about it.   

It seems to me that if someone really cared about their horse, they would not subject them to this kind of abuse -- working in very hot and humid weather for hours on end.


Every time the carriage trade defends something like this, they drive the nail further into their communal coffin.

It is all about money.  Welcome to New York, kids.  Welcome to New York. 

$$$

Go Eat Some Horsemeat

“Eat a slice of  horse meat. Don’t you see how skinny you are?”  said an Italian carriage driver in Rome to an activist protesting his trade.     

New York City is only one of the many cities where campaigns are escalating against the use of the inhumane and unsafe horse-drawn carriages for tourism.  Most recently there have been accidents in Victoria,  British Columbia; Mumbai, India,  Buenos Aires, Argentina, Galveston, TX, Philadelphia, PA and Atlanta, GA where a horse collapsed.   Rome also has its share of problems.  On Friday, July 27th, a horse collapsed from the heat near the Piazza di Spagna - Spanish Steps.  It was 104 degrees and very humid.  The drivers are not supposed to work in the hot and humid afternoons but ignore the law, similar to NYC.

On August 4, 2012, La Repubblica, one of Romes biggest newspapers,  reported on a riot involving activists and carriage drivers.  An English translation is below:

Click here for the photos 

Click here for the first video

and here for the second video

Please let's all remember that horses are sensitive animals.  Like people, they do not like yelling, negative energy and stressful conditions.  Stuck between the shafts of their carriages, they are captive victims.  They can't go anywhere.  

Translation: 

Horse-Drawn Carriages, Violent Fighting Breaks Out Between Carriage Drivers and Animalisti in Piazza di Spagna

by Federica Angeli and Maria Gabriella Lanza

A demo protesting the exploitation of horses in downtown Rome ended up in a huge brawl waged  with pipes and bottles. Five people were injured and three were arrested. The police stepped in   just in the nick of time to prevent more serious consequences.

A huge brawl broke out in Piazza di Spagna: carriage-drivers vs. animal advocates. The battle was waged with pipes, sticks, and bottles and carried out by pushing, shoving, and punching. Luckily, the Carabinieri and city cops were on duty – otherwise the damage would have been even greater.

The event ended with five injured and three handcuffed and arrested. Although charges for instigating a brawl might conceivably be reduced when the case comes to court, the battle in Piazza di Spagna, filled with tourists and passersby eager to capture the scene on camera, will be remembered for a long time to come.

It all started with a surprise raid by animal advocates in downtown Rome. There were six carriages waiting for fares in the middle of Piazza di Spagna when a group of about thirty animalisti erupted in the square. Leading the group was Stefano Fuccelli, president of the PAE (the European Animal Rights Party). Bearing thermometers, the protesters measured air temperatures (a city ordinance states that horses can circulate in the city if the temperature is below 34 C or 93 F) and inspected the horses’ conditions. It didn’t take long for a fight to break out. Antonio Celli, one of the senior drivers, gave his advice to PAE national coordinator, Enrico Rizzi: “Eat a slice of  horse meat.. Don’t you see how skinny you are?” In a jiffy, the verbal exchange went physical. The result was an incredible brawl, which ended with five injured and three arrests.

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--
Elizabeth Forel
Coalition to Ban Horse-Drawn Carriages
Horses Without Carriages International

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