Assignment #1
Horse and Carriage

On january 2, 2006 a horse in New York City that was pulling passengers got nervous and ran down 9th avenue for a few blocks. It ended up smashing into a station wagon on 50th street.
The horse was horribly injured and had to be euthanized. The driver of the car was injured and had to be taken to the hospital along with two passengers. http://new.petitiononline.com/ch4ny123/petition.html
The incident created a huge debate in New York about whether or not to ban horse and carriage driving in the city. One animal rights activist group called PETA has taken a strong stance on banning the carriages. Many of these groups give good reasons for a ban including poor working conditions for the horses. They get scared easily by the noises in the city and are much more unhealthy because of inhaling exhaust fumes all day long.

I was in group #1. Our position was for the banning of horse carriages. We stated that many of the health reasons were a big concern along with the economic factor. The industry does not provide a lot of income. There are only a few hundred horese carriages in New York, which is a city of many millions of people. The danger to the horses and the people is not worth the risk of keeping the industry acitve. I think that having a complete ban is the only reasonable route. Allowing horses in Central park sends a mixed message that is confusing. Horse carriages are a thing of the past and do not belong in modern cities. There are just too many people and motor vehicles period.