Susan Wagner (Equine Advocates) testifies on disappeared horses
Susan Wagner, president of Equine Advocates, testifies about her sanctuary's three former NYC carriage horses, all broken down and crippled, and documents 529 horses disappearing from city rolls over 7.5 years, presumed dead or slaughtered.
Thank you for holding this hearing.
I'm Susan Wagner, president of Equine Advocates, the nonprofit equine protection organization I founded 30 years ago.
We operate from a 173-acre horse sanctuary in Chatham, New York, home to 82 horses, ponies, donkeys, and mules, which included three former New York City carriage horses,
all of whom were left broken down and crippled as a direct result of the cruel and inhumane work they were forced to do and unnatural lives they were forced to lead pulling carriages in New York City.
The most famous of the three was the late Bobby Two Freedom, who would have died in a Canadian slaughterhouse if he hadn't been rescued.
Bobby's story proved New York City carriage horses are sent to slaughter.
Bobby was shipped from a PA slaughter auction to Rhinebeck Equine, where his discharge report stated that he was overloaded with worms, was head-nodding lame, and underweight.
Later at Cornell, he was diagnosed with chronic navicular bone disease and fractures from old injuries in both his front legs.
Jack, who has been with us since 2016, was diagnosed with navicular disease, evidence of an old bone fracture, and bilateral forelimb osteoarthritis.
Sheena, who passed in 2023, was anemic, suffered from left limb lameness and hoof ligament disease.
A study by the Coalition to Ban Horse-Drawn Carriages from information from the health department documented that an average of
71 New York City carriage horses disappeared off the rolls every year over a seven and a half year period for a total of 529 horses.
Where did they go?
We believe presumed slaughter, presumed dead.
The Mandami administration says it is progressive, a positive word indicating improvement and moving forward.
In keeping with that progressive platform, I urge the new mayor and the current city council to allow New York City to finally join the number of growing cities globally and in the United States to ban horse-drawn carriages.
Thank you.
Thank you.