by Liz Roberts

Created on: March 28, 2008

We are not living in Nineteenth Century America where there are no cars and very little threats to horses. We are living in a the animal unfriendly world of the Twenty-First . Our cities are coated with smog and inch to inch traffic jams. This is not a good environment for any animal , least of all a horse. Bad enough it has to pull a carriage around for all hours, it has to deal with these dreadful and harmful conditions.

I visit Manhattan regularly and occasionally see these poor creatures taking hordes of tourists on rides. This may look quaint and may seem so to the city's many visitors but in reality it's not. My heart just breaks when I see horse forced to deal with everything from fire engines to buses to cyclists. I guess they're used to this but somehow there's always a look of skittishness bordering on panic in the animal's eyes. It seems the poor creature is ready to rear up and cause havoc. This is not right. Horses should be on a farm. If they have to give rides then let them pull carriages in historic villages outside the urban areas. There are plenty of these quiet tributes to the 1700 and 1800s. Not only that, the horses will breathe in fresh country air, and have much calmer environments. There will be no ear shattering horns blaring or days shivering or sweating. They won't be drenched by rain or pelted by hail or sleet. They won't suffer the effects of cold winds blasting through city canyons or deal with the sweltering heat of a city stuck in summer. They'll be in an environment that's more conducive to their health and longevity. They won't be neglected or put to sleep either.

Yes, American cities have relied on horse transport for two hundred years. Yes, those horses suffered as well, even doing more work than today's carriage ones. However even up until the First World War , ours was not an enlightened age.A horse was no different than any household item or for that matter any servant. They were taken for granted and exploited . Today is different. There are other means of seeing a city. Take a tour bus or just walk. Besides it's more fun. You'll see and explore places that just catch your eye as you walk by. I know a lot of people think that a carriage ride is also a romantic activity. Well if you're in the Manhattan area, then think about a boat ride around the island. It's ten times more romantic plus it'sa good venue for a proposal. Ditto for the Empire State Building or the observation deck at 30 Rockefeller Plaza. Don't start your lives together by also abetting an act of animal cruelty. It's insensitive.

If you live in or near any of the big metro cities , then protest the horse carriage trade. Contact PETA or any local animal group to find out how. Also tell friends and family not to use the carriages. There are other ways to enjoy New York plus other 'carriage friendly" towns. See what you can do about getting the historic villages to adopt these equines and let them live out their lives quietly. You'll be doing them a world of good.

The best thing to remember is that a horse is not a tour bus or a subway. It is an animal that is sensitive to its' surroundings. It feels the roasting city heat the way we do . It hates the sound and smell of congestion - just like us. Remember these similarities the next time you see a horse pulling tourists around your city. Then do your best to rally for this creature's freedom.

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