I'm a friend to animals. I support the SPCA and Philly Paws. But some "animal rights" freaks are salivating over tragedy and it disgusts me. This driver could have just as easily plowed into three pedestrians - and it wouldn't be the first time - and these people are more concerned with the three uninjured horses than the three people taken to the hospital. There is absolutely nothing wrong, outdated, or inhumane about nostalgic horse drawn carriage rides through Philadelphia's historic districts.
Say what you will about the dangers of operating a horse on the streets of Philadelphia in 2010, but as far as I know the speed limits of surface streets haven't changed since the 50s, a time in which it wasn't uncommon to see horses being used for more than just tourism. In fact, as this city becomes more popular we will gain residents and tourists which translates into pedestrians and cyclists which could have just as easily been hit by this idiot. The problem is not horse drawn carriages, it is the speeding and aggressive driving - often aimed at pedestrians and cyclists (and anything deemed too slow for New Jersey) - that is consistently overlooked.
The "Peace Advocacy Network" and Leila Fusfeld are using this as a means to an end to complete an agenda against an industry they know nothing about. Mayor Nutter and Councilman DiCiccio, please don't sheepishly pander to these alleged friends to animals. Take a trip up to the Loft District and witness first hand how these horses are lovingly cared for. Go to a farm and get to know a horse, understanding first hand that Leila Fusfeld and her minions are grossly inaccurate in assuming that horse drawn carriages can in any way be considered abuse. These animals were bred for labor. "Horse power" is used to measure engine strength for a reason. And don't forget that the end of these horses' careers is quite simply a death sentence. An unemployed horse equals dog food. Leila Fusfeld wouldn't want you to know that.*From Councilman Frank DiCicco: "There was an unfortunate accident. There are accidents that happen every day in the city of Philadelphia. There are pedestrians who are hit by cars and either injured or killed. I don't see anyone out there saying eliminate motor vehicles from the streets of our city also."
So correct me if I'm wrong, if horse drawn carriages were banned the three people in the hospital wouldn't have been injured right? Your contention that Leila Fusfeld and protesters like her don't care about the people is based on...what?
ReplyDeleteThe driver could have just as easily hit three pedestrians. Do you propose we ban walking? While I believe my contention that Lisa Fusfeld and her cohorts are more concerned with uninjured horses than three injured drivers is made valid based on her statements, the broader scope of my point is that these proposed nanny bans by bandwagoneers use incidents like this to fix blame on carriage companies instead of the reckless drivers and weak law enforcement to drive home ludicrous allegations at an industry they know nothing about. The bottom line: this is what horses were bred to do. When Leila Fusfeld gets her way, these horses will be dog food.
ReplyDelete"these horses will be dog food" ... false. If there is less demand then less horses will be unnecessarily bred. Plus there are plenty of rescues, farms, etc. that would -- and do -- happily take in retired worker horses.
ReplyDeleteMany retired horses are used for entertainment purposes...as an alternative to being put down. Horses will continue to be bred with or without the carriage industry. Society Hill carriage rides ARE a horse's "rescue". A horse isn't a Greyhound and costs tens of thousands of dollars a year to maintain. While I will admit there are a number of farms dedicated to "rescuing" horses (from what a slanted view sees as abuse), very few farms have the resources to house farm animals that don't produce an income, and as more horses are removed from their professions and put on these farms to serve no purpose, there will be less and less money to care for them. They're not cats.
ReplyDeleteHorses were bred for transportation and for hauling. Daisy fielded farms filled with rescued animals is idealistic delusion. And besides, as knowingly as you can tell me that a horse doesn't like to pull a carriage, I can tell you that a horse likes the daily exercise. Until we meet Mr. Ed, none of us will know so I say use them for what they were genetically bred to do. And if anyone is saying they need to be banned because they're getting hit by cars, then you better be prepared to argue that we need to ban bikes and pedestrians, because that is the exact statement you are making. Blame poor traffic enforcement and aggressive drivers, not the people caring for these horses.
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