Natalie Ricobono (carriage owner's spouse) testifies opposing ban

Good afternoon, Chair, and thank you for this opportunity.

My name is Natalie Ricobono, and I am the spouse of a horse and carriage owner.

I want to offer first my deepest condolences to the Mahajan family as we too are grieving this tragic incident.

And as a mother of two daughters, I am feeling the pain as we sit here today, and I'm so sorry.

In all the years of knowing my husband and my father-in-law, I've witnessed two hardworking and dedicated men striving to provide for our family and their colleagues alike.

My husband has always put his horses before anything else and works on his days off to check on his horses, and I continue to witness my husband's passion in this business like no other.

He started a not-for-profit association to improve communication with drivers and owners alike, holding meetings every Monday, which include conversations of horse safety, training, and improving opportunities.

E-bikes, school buses, subway trains, et cetera, et cetera, all have accidents.

So should we ban them all or only allow pedestrians to walk on city streets?

We have been blessed with the opportunity to live the American dream because of this industry.

I beg you.

Please do not put my family on the streets.

My husband's profession, along with his drivers, with all the horses he has dedicated his whole life to, let's look for other opportunities that will benefit all sides and for the future for all involved.

Thank you for hearing me out.

Thank you very much.

I just want to address something very quickly that the previous gentleman talked about in terms of consulting.

That's what today is about.

It's a hearing.

We're consulting with the public.

We're consulting with all sides.

We started at 10 o'clock this morning.

We expect to go very late into this evening so we can hear what everybody has to say.

So that's how we're doing the consulting on this.

So I just want to make that point.

All right.

Thank you, everybody.

Oh, I could leave.

All right, next panel, April Lang, I think it is.

Gabriel Schaefer.

Gabrick Schaefer, Grace Choi.

Tara Lauren.

Paola Gavino and Gabriel Stubert.

Is everybody here that I called or not?

No, it doesn't look like it.

Okay.

Allie Jones, Catalina Toro, Sully Voorhees,

No?

Okay.

And here's three more.

Let's see if we can find those names.

All right, why don't you guys start and just say your name and then, you know, your testimony.

Microphone.

I'm the founder and executive director of Tamerlane Sanctuary and Preserve.

We are the only farm sanctuary in the state of New Jersey that is accredited by the Global Federation of Farm Sanctuaries.

I was surprised to hear testimony today from somebody else on one of the panels that they were almost killed by a horse in Central Park.

I also had that experience.

I grew up riding horses in California.

I rode a Western saddle.

I came to New York.

I took dressage.

And also at Claremont Stables, I rented a horse.

I went into the park.

The horse was spooked by a photographer, and that horse took off running.

I was terrified that I was going to die or that I was going to kill somebody else on this horse.

I managed to jump off the horse in front of the horse to stop the horse from running.

and the horse reared up, could have hit me on the head.

I grabbed the reins and I was able to walk that horse back.

But that's just two people at Claremont Stables in this room.

How many other people did that happen to?

Horses are not meant to be in the city.

The thing that I'm concerned about here is that

The retirement of the carriage horses only matters if it's truly permanent.

My fear is that these horses will be retired into places that are not true sanctuaries.

So I'm glad that there are people on this panel who are here to oversee that.

A horse should not leave a carriage and disappear into a system where it can be sold, transferred, auctioned, or eventually end up in the slaughter pipeline.

Retirement should mean lifelong protection.

And just because a horse is trained to work does not mean that the horse wants to work.

I grew up riding stable horses and all they did was try to get you off of their back.

They did not enjoy the experience of being ridden.

If these horses are retired, they deserve placement in legitimate, accredited sanctuaries that exist solely for the welfare of the animals, not facilities where ownership can change or where horses may once again be commodities.

There are dozens of GFAs.

All right, you just need to wrap it up.

Accredited sanctuaries across the country and I myself have been involved in rescues of thousands of animals where sanctuaries across the country have absorbed them.

So they're

are homes for these horses.

There are good sanctuaries for them to go to.

Thank you.

Next.

Just state your name first, please.