The Central Park Blog » Blinders

New York Governor Demands Better Treatment for Central Park Carriage Horses

John Moore — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 19:48:41 +0000

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The New York State Governor has taken a stand against the local horse and carriage industry that puts our local pols to shame. Gov. David Paterson, taking on the 150-year-old tradition of horse-drawn carriage rides in Manhattan’s Central Park, says the horses need to be treated better or the popular tourist rides should be banned. His recent comment before an animal activist group, rare from a high-level official, drew praise from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.

Paterson seeks “more humane treatment of horses that have often suffered due to difficult work conditions,” said Paterson spokeswoman Marissa Shorenstein. “Horse carriages are important to New York’s overall tourism industry and to the fabric of New York City’s culture, however we must be certain to treat horses and all animals ethically.”

The romantic rides in ornate Hansom carriages have graced Central Park since the 19th century, drawing 800,000 customers a year. They have been featured in tourism ads and in countless movies and TV shows. But Paterson and animal rights groups say the horses’ stables are too small and too cold in winter and that the constant work isn’t humane. There are occasional crashes with automobiles, one of which left a horse dead last year.

“Blinders” Screened On The Eastside

John Moore — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 19:36:04 +0000

Last night I attended a screening of “Blinders”, a documentary that shows in graphic detail the horrendous abuse suffered by the horses that are exploited by the carriage horse industry in New York. Brilliantly produced by Donny Moss, who also wrote and directed the film, the movie systematically refutes every defense of this cruel and archaic industry. The screening was followed by a spirited panel discussion which explicated some of the seamier political aspects of the debate and what concerned citizens can do to eradicate this embarrassment to our city, and our beautiful Central Park, once and for all.

While there were many highlights of the evening, Councilmember Tony Avella speaking of how we can combat the the brutal tactics of the carriage horse owners and Donny Moss telling passionately of his efforts to reach the public with the information exposing the abuse, the most amusing one was when a gnome-like thug, claiming to represent some un-named outlet of “da media” started ranting and had to be escorted away by security. The absurdity of his barely understandable gibbering was accompanied by the chilling realization that the industry had hired such a person to disrupt the proceedings. The fact that Mayor Bloomberg and Councilmember Quinn would align themselves with such people is confusing at best.

Documentary Exposing Carriage Horse Carnage

John Moore — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 02:39:43 +0000

BLINDERS, a 50 min documentary about the growing movement to ban the infamous NYC carriage horses, will be screened publicly in Manhattan for the first time on Sept. 18th and 22nd. BLINDERS has been screened at 10 film festivals and won the 2008 award for Best Film in the Point of View Category at the International Wildlife Film Festival.

September 18, 7:30 p.m.
Visionfest Film Festival
Tribeca Cinemas
Tickets – $11

Sept. 22, 7:00 p.m.
AMC THEATER
3rd Ave and 71st St
Please join Mary & Peter Max, Ally Sheedy, Kristen Johnson and Nellie McKay for a screening of BLINDERS to benefit the League of Humane Voters. Panel discussion will follow screening. You can find ticket info at League of Humane Voters

Click here to watch the movie trailer
To read more about the movie and to see the press coverage, please visit: http://www.blindersthemovie.com/

“Blinders” Screened

John Moore — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 15:51:58 +0000

The documentary “Blinders”, by Danny Moss was screened last Wednesday by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals and the actor Alec Baldwin. The 52-minute documentary starts innocently enough with the gentle clip-clopping of hooves and the excited reaction from tourists. (Oaky, the tourists do appear a bit demented, but that could just be coincidence.) It then goes on to recount recent accidents with some gruesome shots of a horse lying in the street just after an accident. There follows a series of harrowing stories depicting the horrible treatment of these poor animals.

It would seem inevitable that this antiquated, brutal industry must be banned, as it has been in cities all over the world, from London to Beijing. The fact that the People’s Republic of China has proscribed this practice and the great city of New York has not should be telling enough. The next screening is not scheduled until August, but I am trying to find out if another showing can be organized before then. This is a movie all New Yorkers should watch.