21 Polo Horses Died

via AP

At first I was really sad to hear about he 21 polo ponies that died in Florida. Reports were mixed but apparently they died from some sort of botched meds or toxins in their feed that caused their heart failures within hours. Read more here.

Then I saw the slideshow of prized ponies’ owners and polo fans in tears, in mourning and holding vigils, and I became sick to my stomach. Although I’m sad by this event, this made the news around the world. Why? Because they were revered animals and each horse was estimated about $200,000 value. Each day, there are innocent animals being slaughtered, abused, and mistreated everywhere, and yet we almost never hear about it. Horse abuse and mistreatment is a serious issue and people don’t know about the atrocities this beautiful species face today. This just saddens me.

Filed under: local issues , horses, polo ponies in florida

The Cruelty of Horse-Drawn Carriages

On one hot summer day a few years ago, my husband and I were driving along the West Side Highway in New York City. There was this dinky corner garage with horses standing outside in the sun, looking exhausted, dehydrated and rundown. That’s when I realized that it was one of few city stables that held horses that pull carriages around the city, and that’s where they go when a hard day ends.

It may seem all wonderful and romantic, especially when you see these carriages in Central Park, waiting for tourists to mount a ride around the city for a small expense. But this practice is outdated. Afterall, we have cars now, and it is no longer a necessity to subject such an animal to urban streets.

Carriage horses endure loud noise, car fumes, traffic dodging, hard pavement pounding for most of their lives. The busyness and polluted environment of city streets are extremely stressful for horses. They haul heavy carriages all day, and it has been reported that they receive very little care and good nutrition. Over the past few years, a rising number of horse-and-car related accidents for both animals and humans. Horses could suffer respiratory ailments and even drop dead on the streets from heat strokes in the summer. At the end of of a hard day, they retire to sad little stables (more like garages)–and before they could recover, before the sun rises, another hard day begins again. When they get old and become useless to the business, they do not necessarily retire to green pastures, they get sent to the slaughterhouse.

This practice is dangerous to both horses and humans. Accidents are waiting to happen, and if you are unlucky, you could be the victim of horses gone wild, taxis crashing into pedestrian walkways, etc. Please spread the word to your friends and family who are visiting cities planning on horse-drawn rides. Sign the petition today and let our government know that this is cruel. (The U.S. does not have any strict provisions in the protection of horses). Major cities like Paris, London, and even our own cities like Key West have already banned carriage rides. Let’s help make New York a more humane place to visit.

Filed under: Take Action, animal cruelty, local issues , animal cruelty, horse-drawn carriages, horses, New York City, Take Action, tourism