Dr. Natalie Juras (equine vet) testifies on biological risks
Dr. Natalie Juras, an equine veterinarian, testifies that horses' innate flight response cannot be eliminated through training, and that NYC's dense traffic and noise create inherently challenging conditions for horses.
Good afternoon, my name is Dr.
Natalie Juras and I'm an equine veterinarian.
My role is to evaluate equine health and soundness, diagnose disease and injury, and provide recommendations that prioritize both equine welfare and public safety.
I appreciate the opportunity to offer a veterinary perspective on this issue.
One of the most fundamental principles of equine medicine is that horses are prey animals.
Even healthy, highly trained horses retain an innate flight response, a biological survival mechanism that cannot be eliminated through training, experience, or routine veterinary care.
As veterinarians, we can determine whether a horse is medically fit for work at the time of an examination, but we cannot predict or guarantee that a horse will respond to an unexpected stimulus.
In a complex and rapidly changing environment.
As veterinarians, we also recognize that animal welfare extends beyond the absence of disease or lameness.
Welfare includes an animal's physical health, behavioral needs, and its ability to cope with the environment in which it lives and works in.
A veterinary examination is a snapshot in time.
It tells us whether a horse appears clinically fit on the data as evaluated, but it cannot predict every future medical condition or behavioral response.
In my professional opinion, New York City's dense traffic, continuous noise, construction, emergency vehicles, pedestrians, cyclists, and other unpredictable environmental stimuli create an inherently challenging
and stressful situation for horses.
Appropriate veterinary care, thoughtful training, and responsible management are all essential for protecting horse welfare, but they cannot eliminate
the biological realities of the equine species or the inherent risks associated with asking prey animals to work in one of the world's most complex urban environments.
Veterinary medicine can help manage these risks, but it cannot eliminate them.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Thank you very much.
Next, want to go, Curtis?