NEW YORK, NY – A host of celebrities have joined the Animal Legal Defense Fund in an open letter calling on the New York City Council to ban horse-drawn carriages in the city.
The letter follows a viral video of a 28-30 year old horse named Ryder collapsing on a New York street during the summer heat on August 10, 2022. A poll conducted by John Zogby Strategies, and published per Voters for Animal Rights, after the incident, 71% of New York voters favor a ban proposed by more than a dozen city council members.
“The now viral video of Ryder on a New York street is heartbreaking, infuriating and disturbing. Ryder, an elderly and emaciated horse, collapsed on 9th Avenue while pulling a carriage,” the letter read. “The world witnessed when the driver of the car tried to force Ryder to his feet, when he could barely raise his head. The video is hard to watch for a reason – it’s not how the animals should be treated.
Celebrities signing the letter include: Maggie Baird, Geezer Butler, Kaley Cuoco, Noah Cyrus, Whitney Cummings, Billie Eilish, Edie Falco, Finneas, Ricky Gervais, Joan Jett, Kenny Laguna, Riley Keough, Kesha, Kate Mara, Rooney Mara , Joaquin Phoenix, Christian Serratos, Sarah Silverman, Sadie Sink, Christian Siriano, Hilary Swank, Justin Theroux, Marisa Tomei, Until the Ribbon Breaks and Christopher Walken.
“Ryder’s pain is impossible to deny. His state of emaciation, dehydration and exhaustion was not the result of a day, a week or a month of abuse, but rather of a prolonged period of neglect, forced to pull carts through crowded city streets,” says the director of the Animal Legal Defense Fund. Director Stephen Wells. “We have reached a tipping point and it is time for the New York City Council to carry out the will of the voters and institute a ban.”
Councilman Robert Holden (D-Queens) on July 14, 2022 introduced legislation, Intro 573, that would end the horse-drawn carriage industry in New York City by banning the issuance of new licenses and replacing cars with electric options . The bill currently has 14 sponsors.
The legislation is the latest attempt to offer relief to horses working in the carriage industry following the Carriage Horse Heat Relief Bill passed in 2019.
The letter continues: “Ryder is an individual, but his situation is not unique. Media reports, smartphones and police reports have documented traumatized horses running through traffic and other carriage-related incidents too numerous to count, spanning decades. Tragic events for horses haunt the history of New York City, as well as other cities across the country. Horses, carriage passengers, pedestrians, cyclists and others are endangered by this cruel and reckless industry. We say: No more.
The letter goes on to call on New York City to set an example for other cities. Several cities — including Salt Lake City, Chicago, Camden, Treasure Island, Pompano Beach, Palm Beach, Key West and Biloxi — have already banned horse-drawn carriages.
Following the July incident, Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-Staten Island/Brooklyn) joined Holden in calling on the NYPD Animal Cruelty Detective Team to investigate the horse and carriage industry, which they described in a letter. “We suspect there is a systematic problem with the way these horses are being treated,” the couple wrote in their letter. “Only an investigation by your division will uncover the truth.”
However, TWU Local 100, which represents carriage drivers, said there are other ways to protect horses.
“We are delighted that celebrities are so interested in carriage horses. Instead of supporting a ban that would kick them out of New York, they might consider our recently released Big HEART platform, which calls for more city surveillance, improved driver training, additional physical exams, new weather restrictions – and a state-of-the-art stable in Central Park so horses don’t have to move through traffic,” TWU Local 100 said in a written statement. “This is a pro-horse platform for the city to celebrate, embrace and protect the beloved carriage horses of Central Park, and continue the 164-year-old tradition that Carriage horses are the ambassadors of our great city.”
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