Bill Ketzer (ASPCA) testifies supporting ban
Bill Ketzer of the ASPCA testifies about the organization's 160-year history protecting horses, calling the industry inherently dangerous and inhumane, and citing eight incidents in 13 months as evidence regulation cannot eliminate risks.
Yes, thank you.
Good afternoon, Madam Chair, members of the Council.
I'm Bill Ketzer.
I'm Senior Director of Government Relations for the ASPCA.
And I appreciate this opportunity to testify in support of Intro 943.
The ASPCA has worked to protect horses since our
founding in 1866, and our support for this legislation is rooted in that 160-year history.
We've endorsed many efforts to regulate carriage horse welfare over the years.
While those reforms have improved certain aspects of the industry, they cannot address the fundamental and persistent challenges associated with horses pulling carriages through one of the busiest and loudest and most densely populated urban environments on the planet.
It is inherently dangerous and inherently inhumane.
Our position is not based on this summer's horrific events alone.
It reflects years of experience and recognition that the risks associated with horse-drawn carriage operations are not avoidable.
Carriage horses must navigate congested streets, construction zones, emergency vehicles, constant traffic, and thousands of pedestrians every day.
These intelligent and sensitive animals are large, and they are powerful, and even the best trained horse can react unpredictably when frightened or startled.
The recent death of carriage horse Denise, followed days later by the tragic death of 18-year-old Romach Mahajan in Central Park, remind us that the consequences extend beyond equine welfare.
These were not isolated incidents.
In the last 13 months alone, as others have said, a horse has collapsed and died, horses have run into moving traffic, collisions overturned carriages, tourists have been forced to leap from runaway carriages, and multiple drivers have been injured.
The growing consensus is that the risks associated with this activity cannot be eliminated.
through additional regulation, and New York City should adopt a lasting solution, not more studies or another decade of incremental reforms.
We need a credible transition that protects horses, supports workers, reflects the values of a modern city, and we respectfully urge you to pass Intro 943.
Thank you.
Thank you.