Friends of Animals Challenging Carriage Rides in Wethersfield, Fox and CBS News Report
Wethersfield, Conn. — Friends of Animals’ strong objections to the town’s plan to provide horse-drawn carriage rides drew statewide television coverage last night. Speaking before the Wethersfield Tourism Commission, Nancy Rice, Outreach Coordinator for Friends of Animals, urged that the exploitative and archaic practice “be left behind in the history books.”
In follow-up interviews for both CBS’s Susan Raff of WFSB and Fox’ Tom Benemann of WTIC, Rice suggested that the $25,000 state grant for the carriage rides program be put to better use than to be deposited into the coffers of a horse-for-hire company.
Rice stated, “We are confident that the town officials and citizens of Wethersfield can find other ways to preserve and herald the historic richness of this lovely town without resorting to a tradition that exploits free-living animals for entertainment.”
Rice cited the growing momentum to ban horse-drawn carriage rides in cities throughout the world, including Key West and Palm Beach, Florida; Las Vegas, Nevada; Camden, New Jersey; Toronto, Canada; Beijing, China; Paris, France; and London, England.
State Senator John Fonfara (D-Wethersfield), who initiated the carriage rides program, claimed it will add to the “ambiance” of the town. Fonfara praised peaceful evening walks through Wethersfield’s historic district. Perhaps Fonfara should look to this pastime for a more positive inspiration, such as guided walking tours of the tree-lined lanes and colonial homes.
The public will be allowed to speak again at the Wethersfield Town Council meeting on Monday, Aug. 6, at 7:30 p.m., Community Center, 30 Greenfield Street, Wethersfield, The Banquet Room. Please ask town officials to find more enlightened and creative ways to accentuate their New England heritage than returning to the days when animals were forced to pull people through the streets. Let’s leave that piece of history behind.
The contact information for Wethersfield town officials:
Wethersfield Town Manager- Bonnie Therrien
860-721-2801
Bonnie.therrien@wethersfieldct.com
Wethersfield Economic Development Manager-Peter Gillespie
860-721-2837
peter.gillespie@wethersfieldct.com
Mayor Andrew S. Adil (D)
860-257-8176
andrew.adil@wethersfield.org
Dep. Mayor Christine T. Fortunato (D)
860-529-3828
cfortunato@wethersfield.org
State Senator John Fonfara (D-Wethersfield)
860-240-0043
Fonfara@senatedems.ct.gov
State Representative Antonio Guerrera (D-Wethersfield)
860-240-8585
Tony.Guerrera@cga.ct.gov
State Representative Russell Morin (D-Wethersfield)
1-800-842-8267
Russell.Morin@cga.ct.gov
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4 Comments
On August 4, 2007, Baaboo wrote:
Horses on city streets has proven to be inhumane and extremely dangerous to the horses and human alike.
On August 4, 2007, Carol wrote:
Horses and buggies trotting down Main Street in Olde Wethersfield is a fine retro idea, but is it really feasible? After all, who would sweep up the horse manure after each pass?
A better idea is human-powered rickshaws. After the initial purchase price, rickshaws require little maintenance. The human power can be provided by the mostly male Town Council members who hatched the initial horse-and-buggy plan. We did, after all, elect them to serve.
And the best part? No horses would be harmed. Those who hatched the plan would have the satisfaction of seeing the plan executed all the way through. Now, that’s the hallmark of a politician I personally would like to see reelected.
I bet we’d be the only town in Connecticut with human powered rickshaws. Now that would be a tourist attraction worthy of Wethersfield.
On August 15, 2007, Jen wrote:
How are horse carriage rides inhumane? I’m not asking in a challenging manner, I’m just not clear. Are the loads too heavy for the power of two horses? Do they have to pull for uncomfortably long periods? How is it dangerous? Would it not be a good idea to have more horses about to encourage the love of animals?
Thanks,
Jen
Editors’ Note: The best view is to serve the interests of free-living horses by opposing the U.S. government’s horse round-ups on public land. Those dreadful round-ups in Nevada and in other western states are funded with tax dollars; they appease ranchers whose cows compete with horses for water and grasses. Once horses are privatized, bred and then entered into trade ,we’re left trying to address how the horse-drawn carriage trade treats animals, and how they’re killed. at the nation’s slaughterhouses.
In short, horses don’t belong in traffic. They’re not automobiles, they shouldn’t be subjected to forced labor. Horses’ interests are best championed by leaving them free and wild. That means an end to dominating them, and trading their lives and liberties away for commercial purposes. It means controlling ourselves.
Are horses injured and killed in traffic? Yes, absolutely. Are they forced to pull carriages in bad weather and high temperatures? Yes, that’s true, too. Rather than regulating another exploitative trade, we hope to prevent it from becoming a repressive industry in Wethersfield.
On August 20, 2007, alaskanni wrote:
I need to ask a question. Does FoA believe that horses should not be used for anything at all? Like pleasure riding or like the Amish people use them for all kinds of farm work and transportation? Just an honest question.
[Blog editors’ note: We’d agree with Alice Walker on this one. “The animals of the world exist for their own reasons. They were not made for humans any more than black people were made for white, or women created for men…”]