Won questions on horse transition and sanctuary oversight

Thank you, Chair, and thank you for your testimony.

So I live across the street from the stables in Hill's Kitchen.

The stables are homed in District 3.

So I see the horses quite a bit, walking to and from the park every morning.

And my partner is a lifelong equestrian, so horse care is very important to me and my family.

So I have a couple of questions about the transition for the horses.

I respect that you said you're still putting this together, but you mentioned in your testimony that you would collect information about the sanctuaries or I guess retirement farms that these horses would go to.

So approximately how long will that process take?

And once that's given to the drivers, will that be the list of who they can go to or would they be allowed to find other homes for the horses?

So the bill specifies, gives the department direction for information to collect and to provide to the owners.

We are still looking at that, and should the bill pass, which, as you know, we support with caveats, we would be refining that process.

So would there be any, once the horse is there, is thought to how, would there be any follow-up at the sanctuaries or retirement homes, retirement farms to ensure that they are indeed being taken care of?

So I think we're continuing to review the bill to assess that.

Okay.

I guess my point is that, you know, it's very nice to say that they, you know,

They'll be transitioned and sent to a retirement farm or sanctuary, but oftentimes there's more to it than that for the well-being of the horses.

The transition from one environment to another can be disruptive, and we'd want to just make sure that they are actually being taken care for.

It's not just a line written on the page, but something the city continues to follow up on to ensure.

I think that point is well taken, Councilmember, and we're also encouraged that our colleagues in the Mayor's Office of Animal Welfare have already received outreach from equestrian sanctuaries to engage in this work, but I think

even as we phase out, it'll have to be an interdisciplinary and multi-agency effort, and ensuring, for example, that that office is involved and running checks on this is important too.

Okay.

Thank you, Chair.

Thank you very much.