one green planet
one green planet

In a heartbreaking video shared on Facebook, carriage drivers in NYC are seen violently mishandling a collapsed horse named Luciana.

According to the Facebook post, witnesses say that they could hear Luciana screaming in distress as the carriage drivers were kicking her, trying to drag her by the tail, and pulling on her face for almost an hour with no veterinarian present.

Amid public outrage, an emergency protest was organized where NYCLASS and PETA exposed the carriage industry-paid veterinarian, Dr. Camilo Sierra. According to the carriage horse industry representatives, Luciana was examined by Dr. Sierra, who has his veterinary license under a two-year “suspended stay” by the state. Dr. Sierra has a “long and disturbing history of unlawful and harmful behavior to horses at New York racetracks, which includes the falsifying of health reports and improperly drugging of horses,” according to NYCLASS.

NYCLASS also pointed out that even the State Gaming Commission has said that Dr. Sierra committed “an improper, corrupt and fraud act and practice in relation to racing, and committed and attempted to commit fraud.”

”Luciana was brand new to the city and should not be subjected to further danger and abuse. We call on her owners to release her to a sanctuary and we’ll offer support to make that happen,” said Edita Birnkrant, Executive Director of NYCLASS. “It’s clear the entire horse carriage industry is corrupt from top to bottom. Instead of relying on the word of shady vets or animal abuse apologists, it’s time for the City Council and Mayor to follow the example of other modern cities in the world – including Chicago and Melbourne, Australia – and remove horse carriages from the streets of New York without delay.”

Unfortunately, this is far from the first time that these exhausted prisoners for profit have collapsed and been treated horribly. In March, a horse in Central Park stumbled multiple times before finally collapsing on the pavement and multiple men continued to try to make the animal stand up.

Eventually, the men trussed the horse’s legs together and hauled it into a trailer. Only hours later, the 12-year-old mare named Aisha was euthanized.

Horse-drawn carriages and horse rides are not quaint and romantic! These poor horses are subject to walking for hours on end in sometimes extreme weather without adequate breaks. We need to work toward banning carriage rides and protecting these animals from being exploited!

Sign this petition and tell New York that it’s time to end horse-drawn carriage rides.

Being publicly-funded gives us a greater chance to continue providing you with high-quality content.Click here to Support Us

Related Content:

Easy Ways to Help the Planet:

  • Eat Less Meat: Download Food Monster, the largest plant-based recipe app on the App Store to help reduce your environmental footprint, save animals and get healthy. You can also buy a hard or soft copy of our favorite vegan cookbooks.
  • Reduce Your Fast Fashion Footprint: Take initiative by standing up against fast fashion pollution and supporting sustainable and circular brands like Tiny Rescue that are raising awareness around important issues through recycled zero-waste clothing designed to be returned and remade over and over again.
  • Support Independent Media: Being publicly-funded gives us a greater chance to continue providing you with high-quality content. Please consider supporting us by donating!
  • Sign a Petition: Your voice matters! Help turn petitions into victories by signing the latest list of must-sign petitions to help people, animals, and the planet.
  • Stay Informed: Keep up with the latest news and important stories involving animals, the environment, sustainable living, food, health, and human interest topics by subscribing to our newsletter!
  • Do What You Can: Reduce waste, plant trees, eat local, travel responsibly, reuse stuff, say no to single-use plastics, recycle, vote smart, switch to cold water laundry, divest from fossil fuels, save water, shop wisely, donate if you can, grow your own food, volunteer, conserve energy, compost, and don’t forget about the microplastics and microbeads lurking in common household and personal care products!