Protestors gathered earlier today at Midtown’s Clinton Park Stable to stand up for a horse named Caesar, an asthma-stricken 22-year-old whose shady carriage driver falsified records by switching hoof identification and passed him off as a healthy 12-year-old buck. About 45 people showed up, holding NYCLASS and PETA banners.
“The carriage industry has four stables,” Allie Feldman, Executive Director of NYCLASS told ANIMAL. “They claim this one is the best and use this one for their show and tell. This is where Liam Neeson does his thing or whatever. Yet we’ve seen two major instances of animal abuse come out of this stable. If that is what’s happening here, imagine what’s happening at the others behind closed doors. That’s what we need to know, and we need to know where Ceasar is… We are coming very close to victory — the day we finally see the last horse leave New York City and taken to a sanctuary,” she added, referring to the possibility of a city-wide horse-and-carriage ban.
“Even if these violations weren’t happening, you can’t say you love your horse when you put them in Midtown Manhattan traffic, with parents and children strapped to their backs,” protestor Edita Birnkrant told us, even though almost all of the protestors were reluctant to talk and answer questions without their spokesperson. She emphasized, “Our concern is for public safety and the welfare of these horses.” Just last week, a horse collapsed outside of Central Park. (Photos: Aymann Ismail/ANIMALNewYork)
