Chicago: more on carriage horses seized
In this video, just listen to the observer’s inane comments about the first horse being examined.
- “this fella looks pretty weak” (horse has head held high, very alert)
- “had trouble finding his footing”
- “he’s grazing on the grass out there–he’s real hungry”
- “he’s thin” … “I can see his stance there, he’s trying to hold himself up” (he’s tossing his head and fidgeting while being examined)
- “he’s pretty weak, he’s pretty woozy, look at that” (horse is prancing alongside person leading him … *prancing* not wobbling)
- “poor thing is starving”
You mean, this horse?
My bad, the bay horse in the video had a blue halter, must be this one:
Footage is a bit blurry as he is walking onto the trailer, but watch the video for yourself. There are no signs that these horses are weak or malnourished. They look healthy and alert.
Another article on the seizure:
Horses found neglected in West Town [link]
February 6, 2009 | MARY WISNIEWSKIOwner accuses city of trying to close companies
City officials impounded six horses this afternoon from a carriage company near Goose Island after the city received a complaint alleging the horses were mistreated.The horses, which were stabled at J. C. Cutters carriage company, had been housed in an enclosure near the Chicago River which appeared to be a plywood barn covered with a white tarp.
A city official said that the quality of the enclosure, combined with the condition of the animals, led to the decision to remove them.
“We did look at every horse,” said Mark Rosenthal, operations manager for the commission of Animal Care and Control, who came to the scene along with the Chicago Police Department and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. “We feel we do have cause to remove them.”
Rosenthal cited the horses’ “body weight” as a condition that was considered by the commission’s senior veterinarian, but did not go into details. One of the horses removed today appeared thin.
But Beth DuPont, a carriage driver for J.C. Cutters, said there was nothing wrong with the horses.
“They’re not being mistreated. There’s nothing wrong with the way they’re being kept,” said DuPont, who drives a carriage led by a horse named Sue. “They’re fine.”
A representative of the company accused the city of targeting carriage companies for closure. She said the horses are well fed and cared for and said the structure was temporary and legal.
“We love our horses very much,” said the representative, who declined to be identified. “This is ripping me up.”
Hillary Clark, program director of the Hooved Animal Humane Society in Woodstock, said she’s fielded complaints about J. C. Cutters for about a year.
“We’ve heard they’re not being kept in decent conditions, not being fed, frozen [drinking] water and that sort of thing,” Clark said.
This is about ending the carriage horse business, plain and simple.
What should concern the average horse owner is what is in store for them if these horses deserve heated barns, and not to be used in hot or cold weather for our “entertainment,” what does that mean for the horses in our back yards?
I own the little mare in the yellow halter. Her vet thinks she is over weight. she was taken without a court order ( even animal care and controls regulations show they needed one)