NYC Carriage Horse Rescued from Slaughter Auction After Being Discarded by Owner

In a heart-wrenching story that sheds light on the dark realities of the carriage horse industry, Bernard, a 14-year-old New York City carriage horse, found himself facing an uncertain fate. Suffering from leg lameness and neglected health ailments, he was abandoned by his longtime owner, ultimately ending up at a notorious “killer-buyer” slaughter auction in New Holland, Pennsylvania.

However, Bernard’s story took a hopeful turn when Julie Copper of Copper Horse Crusade stepped in. She purchased Bernard for $1400, sparing him from the grim fate that awaited many horses at such auctions. Teaming up with NYCLASS, they orchestrated Bernard’s journey to his new forever home at The Gentle Barn sanctuary in Missouri, where he will receive the care and love he so desperately needs.

Bernard’s plight highlights the grim reality faced by many carriage horses in New York City. Forced to toil in challenging conditions without proper veterinary care, these animals often find themselves discarded once they are no longer deemed profitable. Bernard’s 4-digit hoof ID, etched by the NYC Department of Health, served as a haunting reminder of his past life as a carriage horse, despite attempts to conceal his identity.

Edita Birnkrant, Executive Director of NYCLASS, aptly captured the essence of Bernard’s ordeal, denouncing the callousness of the carriage industry. She said, “Bernard is another unwell, lame horse who was tossed away like trash by the horse carriage industry and would have been slaughtered had not whistleblower rescuers Copper Horse Crusade intervened just in time to save him at the auction – there are simply no excuses for this egregious cruelty. How long was Bernard forced to pull a carriage in pain, suffering without veterinary care, until his owner finally tossed him to the garbage heap? Bernard is yet another victim of heartless horse-drawn carriage owners who issue a death sentence for their horses by having no safety net once they are too used up sick to continue to make them money pulling a carriage. It’s not done by accident – it is done by design, to squeeze every last dollar out of the horses they exploit and neglect with lack of proper veterinary care, inhumane stabling conditions and no retirement plan whatsoever to protect them from slaughter.”

The ongoing criminal prosecution of carriage owner Ian McKeever serves as a stark reminder of the need for accountability within the industry. While strides are being made in seeking justice for abused horses, it is evident that more comprehensive measures are required to address systemic issues. NYCLASS’s call to retire the horse carriage business in New York City is a plea for change. With overwhelming public Support for such action, city officials must take decisive steps to protect these vulnerable animals and put an end to their suffering.

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Related Content:

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• NYC Passes Law So Carriage Horses Won’t Be Forced to Work in Extreme Heat, But the Fight Is Not Over
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