Marty Irby (champion equestrian) testifies supporting ban
Marty Irby, an eight-time world champion equestrian, testifies about horses' flight instincts, notes the military no longer uses horses, and asks why a major city should use them for entertainment.
Yes, thank you very much.
Good afternoon, Chair and members of the Council.
My name is Marty Irby.
I'm an eight-time world champion equestrian, a lifelong horseman, and past president of two different equine breed registries.
An advocate who has spent many years working to protect American equines through state and federal policy.
I've devoted much of my life to this work and ask that you help us see the end of horse-drawn carriages in New York.
Horses are prey animals.
They are flight animals.
Biology and biomechanics are often overlooked on this issue.
When they become frightened, they don't stop and reason through danger.
They run.
That instinct has allowed horses and other equines to survive for tens of thousands of years.
Their natural instincts cannot be trained away.
It can only be managed.
Yet every day these horses are expected to navigate one of the busiest, loudest, most unpredictable
urban environments in the world, surrounded by taxis, buses, construction, emergency sirens, crowds, bicycles, and constant traffic.
Even the calmest horse can be startled by something beyond anyone's control.
And when that happens, the consequences can be devastating for the horse, the driver, the passengers, and the public.
This isn't about questioning the dedication of carriage drivers.
Many care deeply for their horses.
We've heard that and we've seen that.
This is about recognizing that New York City has changed and both our dedication and understanding of animal welfare during this modern day era is quite different than it was several hundred years ago.
Many other major cities have eliminated the use of horse-drawn carriages and replaced them with more modern transportation and entertainment like electric carriages.
Humans have forced those that were born to run free across open fields to spend their lives standing in traffic.
That is not progress.
It is a compromise that we no longer have to make.
Freedom applies to more than just humans.
We all owe a debt of gratitude to the horses, and they should be respected because America was built on their backs.
I just want to add the picture of President Washington up there today and his horse.
We don't utilize horses in our military, and we don't utilize them in war today.
Why should we use them in a major city in this country?
Thank you.
Thank you so much.
Councilmember Hanif has a question for the panel.