March 11, 2012

A city-wide horseback riding event supposedly "fits with this entirely laudable notion that streets don't have to be the sole province of gas-guzzling, carbon-emitting cars and trucks."

According to Chris Rickert, contemplating something like the "Ride the Drive" bike-riding event where major streets in Madison are closed to cars so people can bike all over the streets (instead of just in the bike lanes, which are everywhere, and the bike trails, which are excellent).

But horses? Do horses even do well on concrete? And riding horses can't possibly be more energy efficient and clean than cars.

Fortunately Rickert has a brother-in-law who knows about horses. (He's a farrier.) He tells him that shod horses slip on pavement. Yes, leave the poor beasts alone.

Horse the Drive... what a horrendous idea. And yet... so Madison. There's this restless need to do things... to add amenities. Hey, let's have a trolley! Proposals spring from fuzzy heads. Pure romanticism. It seems environmental. It's environmental and about nature and a love of animals. Except if you look at the actual facts, it doesn't align with any of the values it resonates with inside your head.

32 comments:

Dark Eden said...

Oh I feel so bad for the people who will have to clean up after this event. That's gonna be a shitty job.

Darrell said...

He tells him that shod horses slip on pavement

The steel-belted horse shoes I just invented make that kind of thinking anachronistic. But the rubber horse shoes they use in the cities aren't too shabby, either.
Before anyone mentions it, they already have horse diapers, too.

Mark O said...

Horses with shoes do slide on pavement. Get one in a gallop, pull on the reins and slide. Better than a skateboard.

Greg Hlatky said...

Trains! Trollies! Bicycles! Horses! Why are "progressives" so backward looking?

mesquito said...

Has anyone thought to reach out to the Horse Community to see what they think of all this?

kcom said...

Why are "progressives" so backward looking?

It's the best they can do with brains the size of a walnut.

rhhardin said...

Amish day.

Roy in Nipomo said...

When horses were the primary transportation source, enormous amounts of arable land were needed for their fodder. Flies, disease and bad odor were far more common due to their excrement. About the main advantage was that if you were "under the influence," a well trained horse could transport you home without your input.

Going back to "horse power" is hardly progressive.

LYNNDH said...

This is to "save the Environment"? Don't these dolts know horses need to eat, and the food has to be products and gotten to the horses? So, just use horses for everything? Yes, it is true that they want us back in caves. But no fires, because they smoke.

garage mahal said...

Why are "progressives" so backward looking?

Chris Rickert is not a progressive, he's a dopey contrarian from Illinois who writes for a really crappy paper that everybody hates.

LarryK said...

Did Mayor Dave ever tell you about the time he'd been through the desert on a horse with no name? It was the inspiration for going through Madison on a horse with no purpose.

edutcher said...

Five will get you ten the people who want this aren't intending to be the people who clean it up.

Occupiers, not Tea Partiers.

PS Don't mounted cops use rubber horseshoes?

purplepenquin said...

Has anyone thought to reach out to the Horse Community to see what they think of all this?

You mean the horses themselves or organizations of horse riders?

'cause the event is being put together by Madison Mounted as a fundraiser for the police department's horse department, and they are partnering with the Midwest Horse Fair.

Ignorance is Bliss said...

He tells him that shod horses slip on pavement.

I wonder if this was thought up by the same person who thought to bring a camel to the protests?

mesquito said...

I meant the horses themselves. Not their cruel exploiters, Silly.

purplepenquin said...

Horse the Drive... what a horrendous idea. And yet... so Madison.

Not just "Madison", but rather "Madison Cops".

If ya wanna bad-mouth the idea (I personally have no opinion either way about the horse ride) then be sure to get your facts straight about who is pushing for it...

MadisonMan said...

Bicyclists in Madison are the most coddled of city citizens. Afraid of the dark and too cheap to buy a light? Here, let me spend $250K so you can ride at night.

Larry J said...

A city-wide horseback riding event supposedly "fits with this entirely laudable notion that streets don't have to be the sole province of gas-guzzling, carbon-emitting cars and trucks."

According to Chris Rickert, contemplating something like the "Ride the Drive" bike-riding event where major streets in Madison are closed to cars so people can bike all over the streets (instead of just in the bike lanes, which are everywhere, and the bike trails, which are excellent).


People pay gas and diesel taxes (over 40 cents per gallon here in Colorado) that pays for those roads. If you want to ride your bike on bike trails, then perhaps they need to charge an additional tax on bikes, bike parts and accessories to help defray the costs. Why should they get to ride for free?

Kirk Parker said...

When horses were the primary transportation source...

Don't forget providing work for otherwise unemployable street urchins.

Hagar said...

Why should they get to ride for free?

Because their hearts are pure.

But it is not "free;" the rest of us pay for it.

purplepenquin said...

My understanding is that gas taxes only account for about 35% of the costs to build/maintain roads.

While I ain't so sure I'd be in favor of such an idea, I reckon a good argument could be made to raise gas taxes until they cover 100% of those costs...

kjbe said...

This could be a sketch on Portlandia.

Bushman of the Kohlrabi said...

I reckon a good argument could be made to raise gas taxes until they cover 100% of those costs...

It would be a dumb argument. Truth is, everyone benefits from roads. Even those that don't buy gas.

Darrell said...

Four more years of Obama and we'll
have to collect and dry the horse shit to cook our meals. Not food from the store which we'll never be able to afford, rats and vermin.
Keep on the lookout for loads of new rat and vermin recipes on PBS cooking shows. Create!

virgil xenophon said...

Typical. Let not reality, facts nor logic impinge upon the reveries of the "progressive" left, "good intentions" being deemed the all-encompassing loadstar of thought. It's all about the "narrative," reality be damned.

Bruce Hayden said...

There is something that they can do with the equine excrement. Talk to Sherry at Garden Horse Tea.

Ralph L said...

I imagine the horse of Madison would rather do their thing in an alley than the middle of the street, but if the money is good....

Unknown said...

As long as they have a troop of pooper scoopers behind them cleaning up, I'm okay with this. Just "raising awareness" of energy consumption realities.

In the old days, BTW, cars were looked upon as wonders that ended the problem of mounds of poop and horse carcasses in the streets.

Rusty said...

Then you charge a toll. Use taxes are the fairest way to tax anything.

traditionalguy said...

Horses are also plan B the day after the EMP weapon takes out all vehicles with electrical ignition systems.

The 4th Calvary will trade in their tanks for War Horses and the Budweiser Clydesdales will be the first drafted draft horses.

J.R. said...

What a load of horse shit.

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