The Coalition to Ban Horse-Drawn Carriages is a standing committee of the Coalition for New York City Animals, Inc. It was formed in January 2006 in response to the death of Spotty, a five year old carriage horse who died in a horrendous spooking accident on 9th Avenue and 50th St. on his way back to the stable.
It was the Coalition to Ban Horse-Drawn Carriages that brought this issue to the public after years of non-activity and disinterest. Since January 2006, we have been out there on the street educating people and creating support where there was none.We were the only organization that has been consistently involved and are primarily responsible for all the hard work that brought us to where we are today.
In the spring of 2006, we asked the Comptroller's office to do an Audit of the City agencies that oversee the carriage industry. When it was completed one year later, we made sure the NY Times reported on it even though it appeared that there was a cover-up since it had not been uploaded to the NYC Comptroller's web site two months after its issue date. In the last two years, we generated a lot of press - newspapers, radio and TV, letters to the editor - and got people and politicians talking about the issue again.
We created an issue where there had been no interest since the early 1990s when Peggy Parker of the Carriage Horse Action Committee was active.
In December, Council Member Tony Avella agreed to introduce legislation to ban horse-drawn carriages - Intro 658. This is the first time ever that legislation was introduced to ban this archaic out-of-place industry.
Our Committee and our volunteers consist of people from all walks of life. Some have a background in animal activism; for others, it was the first time they got involved with animal issues. But what we all have in common is compassion for the carriage horses and the hope that this cruel industry will come to an end.
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