NYC Carriage Horse Stalls are too small

The NYC Administrative code was changed last year to require that carriage horse stalls be a minimum of 60 sq. ft. -- up from 48 sq. ft. The media jumped on this saying that it was a great improvement. From the NY Times article - At the same time, the bill mandates stalls large enough for the horses to turn around and lie down in. This size is inadequate and is one more reason why this business should be shut down. Experts recommend 144 sq. ft. for a standardbred and 196 sq. ft. minimum for the larger draft breeds. It is very unfortunate that the media took the Council Leadership's press release as fact. THIS IS WHAT TWO EXPERTS SAY.:

Holly Cheever, DVM, is a world renowned expert on the carriage industry and supports a ban in NYC. No, 60 sq. feet is inadequate: considering a small box stall is 10' x 10' (100 square feet), the measurement you cite applies to tie or straight stalls, e.g. 10' x 6'---and this would not be adequate for comfortably stretching out when lying down. A 10' x 10' would work for a standardbred, but is too small for a draft horse's comfort.
Susan Wagner/Equine Advocates: At the very least the stalls should be 12 x 12...particularly since some of those horses are larger Draft breeds and Draft crosses. Bobby would not be comfortable in a 10 x 10 stall, much less one that was even smaller.

Note: Bobby II Freedom is the horse we helped rescued from the New Holland auctions last June. He has been living at Equine Advocates Sanctuary and enjoying his freedom. Read about him on their web site. Click Here. This is Bobby with friends - photo by Equine Advocates.

Elizabeth Forel
http://banhdc.org