Not as Fun as It Looks

For this weeks article I will answer an email:

Hey Laura! I’m a big fan of yours, and I love the work you do to make people aware of animal consciousness. So I was wondering if you could please do a segment on the carriage horses in N.Y.C. In the past two months, one horse dropped dead in the streets and two others collapsed from what seems to be exhaustion. I have been protesting the carriage horse industry since I became aware of the many abuses that go on in it, but many people still fail to see that these horses are unhappy and are not being taken care of. Since the holidays are coming and this is the busiest (and most tiring) time of year for them, could you please contact them to ask how they feel and what they would like people to know? —CJ

New York City Carriage Horse #1 says, “When I was learning how to be a carriage horse, I enjoyed it because my people really cared about me. I’m not with those people anymore. I hate what I do. They have cut down on our feed and we are hungry. Our stables are dirty, and I walk long hours a day. My body is in a lot of pain. My stomach and teeth hurt. My mouth is sore from the bit. I feel like my life has no happiness. Though, I love the people on the street that pet me. The people who protest our job bring me hope. My owner despises them. None of the money he earns goes back to us. None of it. I wish more people could see my sorrow. With so many people on the street, no one has the ability to help us. This does not make sense to me.”