Coalition to Ban Horse-Drawn Carriages

Donny Moss  - January 30, 2009      

My name is Donny Moss.    

In 2008, I finished a documentary film called Blinders about the horse-drawn carriage controversy in NYC.  The film took two years to make and is now airing on the Documentary Dhannel and on channel 25 in NYC.    

Before I made this film, I had no background in animal advocacy, as a quick internet search will show.  In fact, I didn’t have a strong point of view about the issue until i started interviewing equine experts.    

On June 5th, 2008, the horse-drawn carriage industry’s lobbying firm Brown, McMahon & Weinraub sent a letter to every City Council member describing me as a “notorious animal rights activist” and asked them to boycott the public screenings of Blinders.  In the letter, they claim that the film has “deliberate deceits” and say that “the public knows better than to believe the lies and exploitations.”   

If the public knows better, then why is the industry so afraid that city officials will see Blinders?   It’s because they know that Blinders is factual and that the footage taken on the streets and behind the scenes indisputably exposes the cruelty and danger associated with operating horse and buggies in modern day New York.   

Tonight, blinders will be screened for the public at Jivamukti Yoga School at 841 Broadway at 8:30 p.m.   I urge the City Council members and Mayor to watch this documentary so that they see the truth behind this “tradition” and make informed decisions about the fate of horse and buggies in midtown Manhattan.