Animal Rights Activists Not Horsing Around

Yesterday, animal rights activists gathered outside City Hall Park to demand that [horse-drawn carriages be banned] from the city. While they may be better for the environment, they’re not so great for congestion. Pointing to a July 4th accident involving a carriage horse and a taxi off Central Park, [PETA](http://www.peta.org/) Director Debbie Leahy said, “There’s nothing ‘romantic’ about animal abuse, injuries and death. How many more horses will be mangled and how many more drivers will land in hospital beds before New York City bans these devices?”

And if saving your own hide isn’t motivation enough, activists pointed to the [horrible living conditions] horses face in the city—worse than your 500-square-foot studio. “There’s no consideration for humidity or wind chill, and you know how hot and muggy it gets in New York City in the summertime,” said Elizabeth Forel, of the [Coalition to Ban Horse-Drawn Carriages](http://www.all-creatures.org/bhdc/news.html). Horses are ordered indoors when the temperature hits 90, but activists say Midtown stables are overcrowded and don't seem to have AC.

But while everyone's so concerned about equine health, we're happy to fight for [pedicab drivers]' right to haul us around.

Photo courtesy of [studiolineny on Flickr]