05-06-12: Help NYC Carriage Horses

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HORSE SENSE
Periodic updates about issues and actions concerning New York City's Carriage Horses +
Coalition to Ban Horse-Drawn Carriages www.banhdc.org Horses Without Carriages International www.horseswithoutcarriages.org
PLEASE FORWARD TO FRIENDS AND COLLEAGUES: In this issue ** Lobby Day Success ** Horses Without Carriages International Day ** League of Humane Voters ** Accidents in Rome and Florence

OUR NEWSLETTER
We will not publish a newsletter for the next several weeks. In the interim, please write letters to your State Senators and Assemblymembers. To the person who sends anonymous letters: If you want to communicate with me, please set up a special e-mail address. I don't have to know who you are. It is just not enough now.

LOBBY DAY - MAY 1, 2012

a success - but much work needs to be done
On Tuesday May 1st, a large group of carriage horse advocates gathered in Albany to meet with legislators to discuss the Avella/Rosenthal bills # S5013 & A7748 to ban horse-drawn carriages in NYC and to ask for their sponsorship. We had 10 different teams so were able to meet with many legislators or their reps. We provided much information and answered questions and concerns. The bills are currently in the Cities Committee in each house. We do not expect, nor do we want, a vote on these bills any time soon. We do not have the support. Now is the time to lobby legislators and to educate them why this legislation is necessary. This is not something that happens quickly. It is not unusual for these bills to be in Albany for several years before they are passed. If you were not able to participate in Lobby Day, please try to set up a meeting with your Senator and Assemblymember when they are in their district office. If you are not able to do that, write them a snail mail letter - not

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e-mail. It is too easy to delete e-mail. Please make the extra effort to prepare a letter to both representatives and mail it. For your State Senator Click Here. For your Assemblymember Click Here. If you live outside NY State: Write a letter to Assemblyman Carl E. Heastie - chair of the Cities Committee in the Assembly . Click Here and Senator Andrew J. Lanza - chair of the Cities Committee in the Senate - Click here. You are potential tourists. Please let Assemblyman Heastie and Senator Lanza know that this is an issue of interest to many around the country. If you need some tips, see THE TOP 15 REASONS WHY NYC SHOULD BAN HORSE-DRAWN CARRIAGES. It is best to concentrate on the public safety issues.

LOBBYING -- A NECESSARY COMPONENT

the difference between us and them
The Horse and Carriage Association contracts with well paid lobbyists in both NYC and NYS. Click here to see. Lobbyists listed include Brown, McMahon and Weinrab, which has offices in both NYC and Albany. James McMahon, one of the partners, is also the brother of Tom McMahon, lobbyist and president of TLM Associates and husband of Linda Gibbs, Deputy Mayor of Health and Human Services, which oversees the Department of Health, which oversees the carriage horse trade. Jean Kim is another lobbyist listed. But she is also part of the lobby firm TLM Associates. A new addition is Wilson, Elser, Moskowitz, Edelman & Dicker, which has offices around the country including NYC and Albany. Because we are set up as a 501 (c) 4 not-for-profit organization, we are allowed to lobby. The big difference between us and the lobbyists that work for the carriage industry is that we are all volunteer and pay no salaries. If our lobbying expenses are $5,000 or more in NYS, we are required to register and file. In NYC, the cut off is $2,000.

SUPPORT LEAGUE OF HUMANE VOTERS

Let's get real about lobbying
Our May 1st Lobby Day was organized by League of Humane Voters. They have been in existence for almost 15 years and the NYS organization oversees the NYC branch. If you want to make a difference and participate in lobbying for animal issues bills - and especially the NYS bill to ban horse-drawn carriages in NYC - please join the organization by e-mailing Peter Muller at peter@lohv.org. Provide your name, street address and city and e-mail contact. The reason for this is to assist them in determining who your legislators are.

PLEASE SUPPORT BILL # S5013 & A7748 TO BAN HORSE-DRAWN-CARRIAGES

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If you have not yet signed the petition - please do below

If you have not already signed the petition on Change.org to support this bill, please click here. This is the link to the bill. Wow!! Currently we have 120,911 signatures in support of the Avella/Rosenthal bill.

HORSES WITHOUT CARRIAGES INTERNATIONAL DAY

Saturday June 2nd
Save the date - Saturday June 2nd - 12 noon to 2 pm. More details to come. Horses Without Carriages International is a coalition of organizations and activists around the world who are working toward banning the inhumane and unsafe horse-drawn carriage business in their respective cities. We co-founded it in 2008. Twice a year on the first Saturday of June and the first Saturday of December, we hold events where we stand in solidarity with each other.

CARRIAGE HORSE ACCIDENTS IN ROME & FLORENCE

more horses spook
ROME: May 3, 2012 - A carriage horse spooked when the carriage wheel came off and he bolted into traffic dragging the empty carriage. He crashed into four cars, fell and hurt his leg. This is a link to the article, published in Il Messaggero.

FLORENCE: This happened the same day - May 3rd. Click here for the article in Italian. A horse returning to his stable spooked; he fell several times on the pavement, hurting his legs. If you want to translate the article, go to Yahoo Babel Fish.

MONTREAL DEMO AGAINST HORSE-DRAWN CARRIAGES

If you have Facebook, you can see the nice turnout of people who want an end to horse-drawn carriages or caleches in Montreal. Click here. This was in response to an April 28th spooking accident in Montreal. Please "like" the Facebook page of Anti-Caleche Defense Coalition.

HELP OUR ORGANIZATION BY SHOPPING ON LINE

Also check out Cafe Press to purchase CBHDC merchandise
Through a free registration with iGive, when you buy merchandise on line, your purchase will help us. There are over 700 stores that include such popular ones as Amazon.com, Staples, Best Buy and Barnes & Noble. Even Cafe Press is available if you purchase some of our

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merchandise. Click here to get started. On I-Give - the name of our organization is "The Coalition for NYC Animals, Inc." We also have three stores on Cafe Press with great t-shirts, bags, hats, mugs, mouse pads, etc. Purchasing this merchandise helps our organization. Click here.

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." Margaret Mead.

email: coalition@banhdc.org web: http://banhdc.org/

Thank you for caring about the horses, Elizabeth Forel Coalition to Ban Horse-Drawn Carriages - a standing committee of The Coalition for New York City Animals, Inc. Please DONATE to our campaign to ban the inhumane and unsafe carriage horse industry.

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