The draft horses are powerful creatures, spiritual creatures. They have worked alongside human beings for hundreds, if not thousands of years, they helped build our world, they helped settle our country, they made our cities possible. It was stirring to see them, to touch them, to photograph them.

They have always worked, they have never lived in nature, they have always been around people. They speak to us of Mother Earth, of the natural world, of our long and rich history living alongside of animals, most of whom have been driven out of our world by greed and ignorance. If the horses in New York are banished from the city, it will be a catastrophe both for human beings and the animal world, a literal license to kill for horses and other animals all over the country.

The horses I saw today were either retired carriage horses or draft horses rescued from farms or other places. Six horses came from a family after their owner committed suicide, they were facing imminent euthanasia from the surviving spouse.  I saw some beautiful old horses, some in their 40’s, their heads high with dignity and calm.

The war on animals threatens these animals with slaughter, isolation and extinction. The animal rights movement and their political supporters believe it is abuse for working animals to work.

They believe these horses should only live on rescue farms where they never work or on the farms of the wealthy. The war on animals aims to drive these horses from any kind of work and from all of  our cities where they still remain. I believe the horses called me to come and speak on their behalf, I believe it more after seeing them today.

They have always been with us, they have a right to be with us, as much of a right to be in New York City as we do. I am committed to speaking out in the hopes of saving them from this horrifically misguided notion of what saving an animal means and of what an animal needs.

It was a gift to see these wonderful animals today. I think of the gift of animals, of the war on animals.