The NY Times published my letter debunking their recent Editorial about carriage horses: To the Editor: ”Keep the Carriage Horses” (editorial, April 14) reinforces the mistaken premise that modifications to the carriage industry will make life any less constricting and punishing for the carriage horses, whose highly developed flight drive when spooked should be reason alone for banishment from New York City streets. The sight of horses trudging through the blare of Times Square or the gridlock near the Lincoln Tunnel should disabuse anyone of the notion that welfare trumps profit in this industry. New York’s extreme traffic conditions and lack of pasture can never be a healthy or safe environment for horses to pull carriages, nor can their tiny stalls ever be adequate for horses that require grass to graze, freedom of movement and socialization. We can’t change New York City to accommodate carriage horses humanely, but we can change the attitude that insists that horses remain our beasts of burden. EDITA BIRNKRANT New York, April 14, 2014 The writer is the New York director of Friends of Animals.
Posted on: Fri, 18 Apr 2014 00:33:19 +0000