Assembly Resolution No. 697

BY: M. of A. Sayegh

memorializing Governor Kathy Hochul to proclaim
March 1, 2022, as National Horse Protection Day in
the State of New York

WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body that all living
creatures have value and to recognize and appreciate the service,
companionship, loyalty, unconditional love and happiness animals bring
to the lives of New Yorkers; and

WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern, and in full accord with its
long-standing traditions, this Legislative Body is justly proud to
memorialize Governor Kathy Hochul to proclaim March 1, 2022, as National
Horse Protection Day in the State of New York; and

WHEREAS, From her love of horses from the years she spent as a child
learning to ride and care for them, Pet lifestyle expert and animal
behaviorist/advocate Colleen Paige founded National Horse Protection Day
in March of 2005 to educate the global horse community to the plight of
horses in dire need of adoption and to celebrate their magic and embrace
humane horse sports worldwide; and

WHEREAS, Horses were humanity's companions through our brightest
days and darkest hours; aside from the dog, horses have been man's best
friend for centuries, carrying them cross-country, being their faithful
comrades in battle, pulling the wagons that carried their families,
their supplies and materials for their homesteads; and

WHEREAS, By being a key component in trade and agriculture, horses
have enabled mankind to develop civilizations; many families would not
have had a home if it were not for the tireless efforts of their
true-blue horse, hauling hundreds of pounds of supplies and water back
and forth for miles and weeks at a time; and

WHEREAS, The importance of horses has been recognized by mankind
from time immemorial; Lascaux cave paintings in southern France, dated
to c.15000 BCE, contain 3,600 depictions of horses, and in Homeric
poetry, the Greek heroes of legend rode horses into battle, hid soldiers
inside a wooden horse and one of them even had a conversation with his
horse; and

WHEREAS, In American culture, horses are symbols of freedom; for
example, we owe a debt of gratitude to the horse that carried Paul
Revere on his mission to warn his fellow Patriots of the oncoming
British attack, and the American Western genre, which has captured the
imaginations of artists from all over the world, would be incomplete
without horses; and

WHEREAS, The inhumane treatment of animals violates every value of
decency we Americans hold dear; it's almost unfathomable that this proud
and beautiful country could stand behind the cruelty and murder of such
proud and beautiful animals for so long, our friends, the frequent
guests of childhood lullaby's and dreams; and

WHEREAS, It is vital that we encourage empathy and compassion for
our horses, and that we provide a voice for those who cannot speak for
themselves; and

WHEREAS, On March 1, 2022, animal advocates, supporters, owners, and
citizens come together to protect, and acknowledge all horses' positive
contribution to society; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
memorializing Governor Kathy Hochul to proclaim March 1, 2022, as
National Horse Protection Day in the State of New York; and be it
further

RESOLVED, That copies of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be
transmitted to The Honorable Kathy Hochul, Governor of the State of New
York, the Empire City Casino and Racetrack, and the Standardbred Owners
Association of New York.