At a public hearing on April 27th, 2010, Mayor Bloomberg justified his support of the bill to protect and strengthen NYC’s horse-drawn carriage trade by stating that the ASPCA believes the industry is humane:

Why does the ASPCA protect the horse-drawn carriage trade by allowing lawmakers, carriage operators and even a Franciscan monk to (falsely) suggest that the ASPCA supports it?

Enabled by the ASPCA’s refusal to speak out publicly, Mayor Bloomberg and Council Member Christine Quinn held press conferences boldly declaring their support of NYC’s  carriage trade.  Now that they’ve passed a pro-industry bill, why would either of them address this issue for years to come?  The passage of this bill is a MAJOR set back for the horses and the movement to end this inhumane trade.

Please let me know if you have any thoughts on how we can pressure the ASPCA to use their power, authority and influence to publicly demand a ban or phase out of horse-drawn carriages from the streets of NYC.