The Horse Before The Carriage: Oreo’s Wild Ride

As you may have heard, Columbus Circle experienced a bit more drama then usual when a draft horse named Oreo bolted into traffic, dumping his carriage and passengers. The terrified horse made it to 9th street before being caught.

Sadly, Oreo was so upset that he had to be tranquilized. Image courtesy of NYC Class.org

For a long time, many equestrians have questioned the safety and ethics involved with city carriage horses. Though the rustic charm often sways people’s opinions on the topic, something we must ask ourselves is how many cases like Oreo’s happen and end differently? In several instances rather than simply ‘clipping’ cars and trucks, horses have completely collided with them, often causing life-threatening injuries or death. Certain lawmakers have called for a ban on horse carriages in New York City, while others maintain that it is a necessary tourist attraction.

The aftermath of a less-fortunate carriage horse in NYC. Image courtesy of Animal Law Coalition.

As the 13th accident in the past 12 months, perhaps enough is enough.

What is ‘Horse Tripping’ And Why Should We Ban It?

YouTube seems to be the most effective medium for getting attention for major issues this season: after ABC aired footage from Celebration, a storm of videos from YouTube depicting inhumane behavior towards horses have gone viral and brought more attention to major injustices in the horse world. One of these injustices is ‘horse tripping’. Check this video to learn more:

Most recently, it has been argued whether or not the sport should be removed from rodeo shows in Oregon. Already having been pulled from rodeos in Oklahoma, Arizona and Texas, it has been argued that the practice should not be used for entertainment. Its roots originate from a need to quickly capture and contain animals that were not fully tamed yet. In ranch work, an emphasis on humane practice and due diligence is encouraged, but many argue the sport in the show ring is often not humanely pursued: horses sometimes fall directly on their faces and snouts.

What do you think?

Walking Horse National Celebration Scandal Rages On

You may have heard a while back about Pepsi pulling its sponsorship after controversial footage about the Walking Horse National Celebration was aired. If not, take a quick peek at the Humane Society video most of the clips were gathered from below:

After ABC aired the controversial footage, Pepsi pulled its sponsorship from the event entirely and stricter penalties were put in place to prevent further abuse of these horses. The method referred to as ‘soring’ causes these horses to step higher due to stifling pain, resulting in a more ‘fancy’ high-stepping gait. It it important to note, however, that not all Tennessee Walking Horses are trained with this method. Thus far four Tennessee Walking Horse handlers have pleaded guilty to horse abuse, and it is expected that this number may steadily rise.

Atrocities At Aqueduct

Since last year, the Aqueduct casino and racetrack in Queens, NY has been experiencing a staggering rate of horse injuries, deaths, and equine contestants are reported to have a staggeringly high number of injections previous to hitting the turf. On March 3rd, three year-old hopeful Wes Vegas took to the track only to break his leg in the first turn and be euthanized. A week previous, four year-old Coronado Heights suffered a fatal breakdown, largely attributed to an ‘early degenerative disease’. Horses like these are reported to have received as many as 13 drug injections, many of which are used to mask pain and help sore horses run more comfortably. However, these practices often come with disastrous results.

Pictured: though not a victim of Aqueduct, Eight Belles suffered a fatal injury at Churchill Downs in 2008. Image courtesy of Tuesdays Horse.

Horses In Mountain Grove Can Rest Easy

With the recent lifting of the horse slaughter ban,  horse lovers everywhere have begun to grit their teeth at the prospect of living in a town where horse slaughter plants could crop up. One such town in southwest Missouri, Mountain Grove, angrily shouted down the prospect of one coming to their town on Tuesday, March 13, 2012. After Sue Wallis and Belgian company Chevideco (please be advised that images of horsemeat are listed on this site) approached the town with the prospect of opening a plant that could slaughter as many as 400 horses for human consumption. Met with outrage, Wallis has stated that she and Chevideco will look elsewhere and look forward to starting production.

Pictured is a Missouri Fox Trotter Stallion, a smooth-gaited breed which originated from the Ozark Foothills.

Its A Rough Week To Be A Horse: HBO’s Luck and History Channel’s Full Metal Jousting

Still shot from HBO's 'Luck'. Image courtesy of The Atlantic.

HBO’s horse racing series ‘Luck’ faces an unprecedented number of horse deaths on set, raising questions about the treatment and well-being of animals being used in filming. In previous productions, even one horse death was extremely rare, the last known horse to be euthanized during a productionwas in “3:10 to Yuma” from 2007: Luck has lost three horses.As a result, Luck will end its first season abruptly on March 25 after HBO has decided to pull the show entirely. Whether this was due solely to the loss of life, or in combination with its low ratings is still unclear.

Full Metal Jousting competitor,Landon Morris, having just struck the black horse pictured in the face. Image courtest of Warming Glow.

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