New York voters are overwhelmingly in favor of banning the horse carriage industry, according to a new poll.
Animal Legal Defense Fund and Voters For Animal revealed the findings on Sept. 1. The survey was conducted by Zogby polling and found that 71% of voters support a ban on horse carriage rides proposed by elected leaders “because of numerous charges of abuse of the horses.”
This comes in conjunction with a whopping 90% of city voters who said that the “issue of animal welfare and rights” in New York City is very important or somewhat important to them.
“It’s no surprise that 71% of New Yorkers support protecting horses from the abusive carriage horse drivers by shutting this cruel industry down,” said Allie Taylor, president of Voters For Animal Rights. “Forcing horses to pull carriages on the busy streets of New York City is barbaric and we’re calling the City Council to swiftly pass legislation to ban horse carriages.”
The results also indicated that 69% of people say that they have “been aware of the mistreatment of horses (used in the carriage industry)” while 81% of city voters said they support City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams moving forward with legislation that brings an end to carriage horse cruelty in New York City.
Taylor believes Ryder was the last straw in a long line of tragic accidents and collapses.
“Over the last decade, we have seen a drastic shift in public support for banning horse carriages in NYC. Ryder’s collapse and dozens of abusive incidents like that have moved the public to strongly support a ban on horse carriages because they know that it is cruel. Horse carriages do not belong on Manhattan streets,” Taylor told amNewYork Metro.
This comes after Ryder, the horse who collapsed in Midtown last month, set off a chain reaction that has many New Yorkers calling on elected officials to ban carriage rides. Queens City Council Member Robert Holden has been joining advocates in calling for the fast track of Intro. 573, a bill that would replace horse pulled carts with electric carriages.
The calls to end the long standing tourist practice have also been gaining momentum from celebrities who were also outraged by Ryder’s story.
“It is disgraceful that we’ve allowed this inhumane industry and public safety threat to continue,” New York native and actress Rooney Mara said. “The incident involving Ryder is only one of countless incidents captured on camera that show the reality of these horses’ lives. This industry is an embarrassment to New Yorkers and I implore Speaker Adams to take immediate action to prevent further suffering and preventable deaths.”
