Hypocrisy Abounds Amid Animal Rights Agenda to End Horse-Drawn Carriages in Dallas

In recent years, the debate over the use of horse-drawn carriages has intensified, particularly in cities like Dallas, Texas most recently. Animal rights groups, led by ideologues such as Jodie Wiederkehr of the Chicago Alliance for Animals and Ban Horse Carriages Dallas, have been at the forefront of efforts to ban these lawful businesses simply because they do not align with their beliefs.

While Wiederkehr and her cohorts have consistently decried the treatment of carriage horses, citing concerns over their well-being in anti-carriage campaigns across the U.S., Wiederkehr is now claiming that regardless of adherence to regulations—such as not overworking the horses or providing sufficient breaks and horses having access to water, their latest argument introduces a new twist: Now, Ms. Wiederkehr contends that even if carriage operators follow every law and regulation to the letter, accidents are the real threat. Wiederkehr sites the tragic incident in Oklahoma City last week, where a drunk driver collided with a horse-drawn carriage, resulting in hospitalization of the carriage driver and the euthanasia of the horse due to serious injuries.

Yet, while this event undoubtedly highlights the dangers of impaired and irresponsible driving, it is a flawed premise upon which to base an argument against horse-drawn carriages. The focus shifts from addressing the root cause of the accident—drunk driving—to demonizing the lawful horse-drawn carriage companies. 

What's more, it raises questions about the true motivations behind these protests from Wiederkehr and her fellow animal rights followers. While Wiederkehr and others claim to advocate for animal welfare, their actions suggest a broader agenda aimed at dismantling industries they deem incompatible with their beliefs. And by leveraging emotionally charged incidents like the drunk driving accident in Oklahoma City, they seek to sway public opinion and garner support for their ultimate cause which is the abolition of all animal use.

Wiederkehr’s shallow approach ignores the complexities of the issue at hand which is the fact that horse-drawn carriages hold cultural and traditional significance for many urban communities, serving as both a tourist attraction and wholesome family activity, as well as a link to the past, and a connection to urban horses. Moreover, it should go without saying, but countless carriage operators take pride in their animals' well-being, going to great lengths to ensure they are treated with care and respect.

Rather than targeting a specific industry, efforts would be better directed towards addressing systemic issues such as drunk driving which poses a great danger to everyone on the road. 

The debate over horse-drawn carriages in Dallas, Texas has revealed that for animal rights ideologues like Jodie Wiederkehr, it's not simply about the treatment of horses, but rather a focused plan to eliminate urban horses and law-abiding horse drawn carriage businesses regardless of how humanely the horses are treated.

Mindy Patterson is the president of The Cavalry Group, a member based company protecting and defending the Constitutional and private property rights of law-abiding animal owners, animal-related businesses, farmers and ranchers legislatively and legally nationwide.

Going On Offense To Protect Working Animals

Imagine having your livelihood banned by a small group of lawmakers because your legal business doesn’t align with their ideology or, perhaps, they just don’t like what you do. 

The businesses getting banned, outright, legislatively, at the local municipal level might surprise you. Businesses such horse-drawn carriages, pony rides, elephant rides, educational zoos, and exotic animal exhibits at fairs and circuses. All legal businesses, heavily licensed, regulated, and inspected. 

For the past eight years, our team at The Cavalry Group has had a front row seat to the animal rights-driven onslaught of 67 exotic animal exhibiting bans and transport bans at the local level in 28 states, negatively impacting those who exhibit at fairs, circuses, and educational venues.

In addition, 14 horse carriage bans have passed at the local city council level throughout the United States in recent years. 

Why, you ask? 

Look no further than the animal rights movement.  "Animal rights," not to be confused with animal welfare, is a political agenda chipping away incrementally by altering Americans’ views about animal ownership and animal use through media, through our schools, through legislation and even through litigation. Their goal is to end animal use in every possible capacity.

The animal rights movement is an ideology that has gradually gained a foothold in universities and government throughout the past 50 years.  What was once a radical, ragtag group of extremists is now a multi-million-dollar coalition of organizations that raise money under the guise of running pet shelters and ultimately, spend that money on the promotion of increased regulation on animal ownership and animal enterprise.  

Namely, these organizations are the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), Direct Action Everywhere (DXE), and the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) to name just a few.   There are hundreds of off shoot organizations with animal-friendly names that exist with the same motive and mission. 

The most insidious way in which the animal rights strategy has taken form has been in the subversive way these organizations pressure, infiltrate, and influence government. Hence, the way in which local legislators in city and county councils have been persuaded to ban, outright, these legal businesses utilizing working animals. 

The animal rights extremists have found that it is easier to promote their agenda to inexperienced legislators at the local city council or county council levels, persuading these lawmakers with false information and propaganda. 

It is because of this onslaught that The Cavalry Group worked with Missouri State Representative, Bryan Spencer to create legislation with the intent to slow down the animal rights steam roller at the local level. Accordingly, the Working Animal Protection Act was written and introduced and is moving through several states in the 2019 legislative session. 

If passed, Missouri HB559 would amend the Missouri state agriculture statute, Section A. Chapter 262, prohibiting an outright ban by any political subdivision at the 

any LEGAL business utilizing working animals in education, transportation, exhibition, and entertainment. This legislation DOES NOT take away local control. It simply states that these legal businesses utilizing working animals cannot be banned, outright or have regulations imposed that would lead to a ban. 

On Monday, April 8, 2019, Missouri HB559, the Working Animal Protection Act, is going to be voted on in the Missouri House of Representatives. We look forward to seeing it pass the full House in Missouri and move on to the Senate (SB416)!  

The Working Animal Protection Act is an effort to go on offense to protect animal enterprise across America -- to protect legal businesses, but also to protect our American way of life and heritage by keeping animals in our lives!

Stay up to date on the progress of the Working Animal Protection Act in Missouri and other states by going to www.workinganimalprotectionact.com 

Please help us by supporting our efforts and donate below!

Mindy Patterson

President

The Cavalry Group

The Destruction of Private Ownership of "Wild" Animals

The Cavalry Group and its members are all too familiar with the lies and facades that the animal rights groups use, working through government agencies to implement their agenda to eliminate the human animal bond, animal ownership, and private property.

In Texas, Carter Smith, the Executive Director of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD), ordered the destruction of perfectly healthy whitetail deer of private owners on deer farms across the state of Texas, wielding his power, and creating a fake crisis to usurp the rights of the property owner.

Under Carter Smith's sole discretion and direction, TPWD has been destroying perfectly healthy privately owned whitetail deer across the state of Texas under the faux crisis of Chronic Wasting Disease, also known as CWD.  According to the Center for Disease Control, there is no evidence that CWD poses any threat to humans who consume a deer with the disease, nor is there any way the disease could spread to domestic livestock. Infection rates among your average white-tailed deer linger at less than 1%. Infected deer can live quite a long time with the disease, produce healthy fawns, and remain nearly symptom free until their deaths.

Thousands of healthy whitetail deer have been
killed under the direction of Carter Smith, executive
director of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.

This effort in Texas is eerily similar to government agency abuse of power on private ownership of big cats, primates, bears, elephants, killer whales, birds of prey, even squirrels and raccoons currently wreaking havoc on law abiding animal owners across America today.  

But in Texas, Carter Smith is using the non-crisis of CWD to take away the rights of law abiding deer owners through deceit, manipulation, and intimidation while forcing his destruction of their property. This is certainly NOT a plan to help animals.

What You Can Do

Please sign the attached petition to urge Texas Governor Abbott to remove Carter Smith from his position at Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. You do not need to be from the state of Texas to sign the petition.

CLICK HERE TO SIGN THE PETITION

For more information about this urgent matter, listen to Alan Warren Outdoors and his episode that directly addresses this issue. Listen HERE

THANK YOU for you for taking action on this important matter.  It is vital that we hold these unelected bureaucrats accountable and require them to abide by the LAW. 

The Cavalry Group Team