Category: Horses and Donkeys

The first time I visited New York City I was horrified to see horses pulling carriages full of tourists on the busy city streets. I worked with horses for more than twenty years, and I wondered how anyone who cares about the well being of these sensitive animals could force them to work in this environment.

Every day carriage horses are forced to dodge traffic and potholes while being subjected to screeching brakes, car horns, sirens, jackhammers and the multitude of other sounds that can be heard in one of the most congested cities in the world. All so that tourists can enjoy the wonderful sites of New York City.

Those who support the horse-drawn carriage industry in cities say that it’s a long-held tradition that should be preserved. That argument no longer stood up in Guadalajara, Mexico, when earlier this year the municipal government followed up on a commitment to put a stop to animal abuse.

The traditional horse-drawn carriages are being replaced with electric-powered replicas. According to a report that published in the Mexico News Daily, the first 10 will arrive in Mexico’s second largest city this year. A second batch of 22 carriages is expected to arrive in the first half of 2018, and the third and last batch of 23 in one year’s time.

In “A Day at the Saratoga Race Course: 10 Ways to feel like an Insider” that published on NYup.com, readers are advised to take in at least one race at the finish line because “…not only can you try to spy celebrities in the clubhouse off to the right, it’s a great place to experience the race – the guy with the bugle, the roaring crowd, the straining jockeys, the thundering hooves of the horses.”

I agree that racegoers should pay close attention to the homestretch. Not to experience the excitement of the chase but to see how jockeys thank horses for running their hearts out by whipping them 15 to 20 times before they reach the finish line. As for those who enjoyed the races at Saratoga Springs this summer, I would like them to consider that 19 horses died. They included Angels Seven who was pulled up in the race due to an injury to the left front leg and was euthanized on the track; Brooklyn Major who collapsed and died after the finish of a race; and Fall Colors who fell at the second fence and died on the track. Horse racing is not a sport it’s the exploitation of animals for entertainment and profit.

Mark and Amy Meyers bought their first donkey, Izzy, as a companion for their horse. They were blown away by his loving personality and soon began rescuing abused and neglected donkeys in the community. In fact, thanks to Izzy’s charm the couple went on to establish Peaceful Valley Donkey Rescue in 2000. To date, the Texas sanctuary has rescued more than 8,000 donkeys and burros.

While wild burros are equally protected under the Wild Free-Roaming Horses & Burros Act of 1971, the mustangs often seem to receive most of the public’s attention. As of March 2017 the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) estimates that there are 13,191 on-range burros on federal lands spread across 10 states. According to the HSUS some of these burros are descendants of donkeys brought to the Americas as work animals who either escaped or were released into the wild. As the burro populations grew, they clashed with ranchers because they were competing with livestock for grazing lands. In some cases, burros have been shot when they were considered bothersome.

Photo Credit: Peaceful Valley Donkey Sanctuary in Texas

To help control the numbers in the wild, the BLM conducts annual roundups of wild burros transporting them to government holding facilities where they’re available for adoption. Meyers’ sanctuary rescued its first 500 burros in 2004 after an amendment to the 1971 act stated that animals who were more than 10 years of age or had failed adoption three times could be sold — usually for slaughter.

Burros grazing near Cold Creek, Nevada. Image credit: Thinkstock

According to Meyers and other animal rights activists, more donkeys and burros are being sold for slaughter in the U.S. to supply the global market. Donkey sanctuaries worldwide are concerned about the growing demand for donkey skins in China where they are being used to make gelatin for a product called ejiao.