A Second Carriage Horse Collapsed in New York City

A carriage horse named Luke collapsed on West 60th Street near Broadway around 6 p.m. on Nov 4. This is the second incident with carriage horses in less then two weeks. Charlie collapsed and died on his way to Central Park, he had a stomach ulcer and a fractured tooth.

According to the Daily News Luke got back up 15 minutes later. The ASPCA will be investigating this incident and Luke will be suspended from working until an exam is done. Luke has been cleared to work and the examination showed nothing wrong with him.

The cause of the collapse was him getting entangled in his harness. This is the video of the incident that a witness took:

Animal activists and celebrities are favoring the ban against the horse drawn carriages in New York City. Pamela Anderson wrote "For the second time in less than two weeks, a carriage horse has collapsed on a Manhattan street. Horses do not belong in a congested, urban setting where they are constantly breathing exhaust and sharing the streets with cars, buses and taxis," on her Facebook page.

If you want to ban horse drawn carriages sign this petition and electric cars that look like vintage automobiles will replace them.

Affordable Equestrian Looks for Winter

This fall equestrian inspired clothing is becoming the new look. Of course a lot of the clothing is by designers but there are items that can make up a great equestrian outfit for less.

A classic blazer is great to make the outfit complete. Accents on the collar and pockets of the blazer can make it even more stylish. The RonHerman L'AGENCE  wool blazer on the left has a nice velvet collar with a thin belt and flap down pockets. This blazer has a high price tag of $624.

Nordstrom Rack has a nice grey Conrad C Collection jacket with black accents on both the collar and pockets. It is priced at $83.90 which sounds better and is on the right.

People never thought to wear their horse riding pants to casual and chic events but now the fashion world is incorporating them. The pair on the left can be bought at Bloomingdales and are from J Brand. They have nice velvet accents, such as, the inner thigh panels and smooth pockets on the back. I don't

know if they're as pretty as the price tag of $228. 

The pants on the right are from Vince Camuto and are equally as nice. They are more like a legging which is great for comfort and the contrast of the panels is a nice touch. The price tag of $79 isn't bad either.

The riding boots make an outfit elegant and can dress a casual inspired equestrian look into a chic one. The boot on the left can be bought at Barneys New York and are by Fendi with a huge price tag of $1,100.

The boot on the right are from Annie Shoes and have buckle accents on the top and bottom. The Annie Shoes boots cost as low as $59.46 which is a big difference from $1,100.

Even if you don't ride horses you can embrace the equestrian style in your everyday winter wear.

A Thoroughbred Mare was Found Butchered in Miami Dade County Florida

I wrote a previous blog post on the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act which is a bill to stop the shipping, sale and consumption of horses. So it was shocking to read in a Miami Herald article that last month a six year old thoroughbred mare was butchered and left on the side of the road.

The mare's heart and legs were removed. The police believe the horse was stolen because she was in good health and good condition. Her mane seemed to have been recently groomed which is a sign she was probably stolen.

Richard Couto, has worked at the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in South Florida, and  commented in the article about the horse having a tattoo on her upper lip with an identification number that determined she was a race horse.

She was left on the road north of Okeechobee Road and west of the Florida Turnpike. Richard Couto mentioned in the article that this area is known for being one of the biggest horse slaughter regions in the county. In 2009 police shut down 70 illegal slaughter houses in the county and 21 dead horses have been found as well in that year.

These horrific events in 2009 resulted in the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act. The article interestingly discussed how horse meat is legal in the United States but it has to be labeled and done at a licensed facility. Most of the horses that are being slaughtered are done illegally and are usually stolen.

This situation was outrageous and I can not believe people are doing such cruel actions towards horses. To get involved sign this petition.

NYPD Horses Become Friends With City Dogs

A couple days ago the New York City local news played a video of a French Bulldog and a New York Police Department horse playing and showing each other attention. This happened by Wall Street and I thought it was the cutest video so I wanted to share it.

After I heard about this video I found another which is a NYPD horse showing love to an English Bulldog named Potato. This was even more cute then the first video.

Hickstead a Show Jumping Horse Dies During a Competition in Italy

After Hickstead, a 15 year old Dutch Warmblood, completed a round of 13 jumps at the highest level which is the grand prix, his legs gave out and he collapsed. The competition was the Rolex Federation Equestre Nationale World Cup in Verona, Italy. Eric Lamaze, the rider and owner, won a gold and silver medal at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing with Hickstead. Lamaze was considered the number one show jumper in the world by the Rolex rankings. This was the third time he was ranked number one. Hickstead was also considered the best jumping horse of his time. The New York Times covered this story, Hickstead, Star Show-Jumping Horse Dies During Competition.

According to the Federation Equestre Nationale Hickstead died from an aortic rupture which resulted in heart failure. This video shows Hickstead completing the course and the sudden death so if you think this will be disturbing to you, do not view.

A Carriage Horse Dies in New York City

Charlie a 15 year old carriage horse collapsed in Midtown on West 54 street on his way to Central Park on Sunday Oct. 23, 2011. He had only been working for 20 days prior to the incident. He had a stomach ulcer and a fractured tooth. Ever since this happened there has been great controversy between the carriage industry and animal activist groups.

I have grown up in Manhattan and it was shocking to hear about this. When I was little I would go to Central Park every Saturday with my dad and I remember giving one of the horses a carrot each time. The horse drawn carriages have been around for so long that I can not believe there has been actions of animal cruelty and no one has known about it.

The ASPCA and other organization want to ban the horse drawn carriages but Mayor Bloomberg is rejecting the idea. This is highlighted in a New York Times article called, After Carriage Horse Dies, Mayor Rejects Calls for Ban. Bloomberg expresses how the carriage industry is a part of New York City's history and that the horses are well taken care of. A bill was introduced last year with an alternative to the horse drawn carriages which would be electric cars that look like vintage automobiles. Mayor Bloomberg and the Horse and Carriage Association of New York do not support this ban or proposal.

New Yorkers for Clean, Livable and Safe Streets is the non-profit organization that is responsible for the proposal of electric automobiles. If you support this proposal then sign this petition.

Amos: A Horse That Can Play Basketball and Do Tricks

Amos is a 10 year old pony that lives in Boca Raton, Florida and is a part of the Palm Beach Pony Company. Amos is owned by Shelly Saidel who is responsible for teaching him all he knows. He can do puzzles, paint, play the xylophone, and play basketball. When I watched the news I could not believe this was so but when I saw the video it was impressive. This is the video from WPBF channel 25 news:

Amos volunteers with the non-profit organization, Personal Ponies of Florida, which is located in Coconut Creek. The organization works with children that have special needs by giving them a Shetland pony to take care of for free. Personal Ponies and Amos also go to hospitals, nursing homes, and veteran hospitals. They also conduct privates sessions at Sapphire Stables as well as visiting groups, such as, Gold Coast Down Syndrome Association. To donate or to read more about Personal Ponies visit their website.

He also will do birthdays or other special events. The Palm Beach Pony Company has plenty of party ideas, such as, pony rides, painting the horse, and cart rides. There are also things that adults can do with Amos during parties. Amos has his own website where you can read more about him as well as visiting and party ideas.