In Defense of the Carriage Horse
carriages and wagons. They evidently feel that horses should be put
out to pasture and not FORCED to work for their keep.
Please feel free to add your comments but please keep comments free
of swear words and please keep all comments polite.
In defense of the carriage horse and the work He loves to do.
Granted there are owners who abuse their animals and make them work too many hours.
It is being very idealistic to hope that horses should only be in pasture. Who is going to support them? And how is this going to happen with humans buying all the farms to build houses and businesses?
Horses have always been used for travel whether
riding or pulling a carriage. Now that they are
obsolete for this do they need to be discarded?
Why not give people a taste of the past, the romance and all if it doesn't harm the horse?
If the horse is well cared for why not give people rides?
Maybe Central Park should be closed to cars and just let horses and pedestrians use it. I'm sure
we would be healthier without all the polution.
I personally do not own carriages in Central Park but do have a carriage company for Weddings and hay rides.
PETA wants to take all this away because of some bad apples in the load. They are telling towns not to hire wagons and carriages instead of telling them to check references and affiliations.
We usually do not work our horses for more than 3 hours without a break and refuse to go up and down hills.
I would certainly not appreciate one of PETA's rabble rousers showing up at one of our jobs and
causing dissention when they know nothing about our horses and their handlers.
Just for background information, I have rescued many abused ponies and horses. I have doctored them and found good homes as companions.
I now edit and publish a Natural Pet Care Magazine online as well as run a successful carriage company.
A Dream Come True Carriage Company
Posted by: Tania at February 13, 2006 04:46 PM
Tania, that was an excellent post.
I too am a carriage business operator. I am not as experienced as Tania but I do know a few things.
I know my horse enjoys working.
She was not captured from the wild and tamed to pull my carriage. Like the thousands of other carriage horses in this country, she is the product of many generations of domestic breeding, resulting in a strong and eager to work animal.
I know that in the real world, we all have jobs, horses included, and that's the way it is.
I know that mine eats alfalfa while I eat macaroni & cheese. Far from abused.
As for the accident which occured in New York, that was a very freak and unfortunate thing. Such can be the nature of animals. Horses aren't cars; if people wanted a ride in a car, they would not be in the carriage.
Spontaneity is simply a risk that comes with the territory.
However, rest assured knowing that we do everything possible to keep our horses, passengers, and onlookers safe.
Posted by: Lindsey at February 13, 2006 07:56 PM
whoa! i didn't know so many carriage business owners were on the internets.
Posted by: Anna at February 13, 2006 11:57 PMNeither did I, Anna. And all of them hate PETA.
Posted by: Dhaval at February 14, 2006 09:10 AMWe do not hate PETA. We think they do a great
job in certain areas.
What we don't like about PETA is that they generalize too much.
If one company has a problem with neglect or
abuse, PETA tends to say all companies are bad.
Whether the horse business or petting zoo business.
We feel that some of the PETA agents are not qualified to judge what is right and wrong.
The same has happened with the Humane Society.
Some of them are arrogant and think they know everything about everything.
We call them over
zealous.
Some of th PETA agents are wonderful and do
a great job. The same with the Humane Society.
What we need to do is sit down and discuss the
problems in the business and not be abitrary.
We ask that PETA stop contacting towns who like to have horses pulling wagons and carriages,
telling them that it is inhumane and that
horses should be banned from celebrations.
It is only in humane if the horse is in poor shape or the route taken
is hilly or the hours too long.
These horses are bred to to be large and muscular so they can pull heavy loads.
posted by Tania Lawson at 1:09 PM
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