I’ve just accepted one of the more interesting invitations in the life of me, my work and my blog.

The Clinton Park Stables in New York asked me to come to the city Sunday to meet Liam Leeson and to take pictures and mingle with some members of the New York City Council, who will be deciding on the fate of the city’s carriage horses. Leeson, an accomplished actor who is currently starring in the two top movies in the country, has invited the Mayor, the City Council President and the members of the City Council, to finally come to the stables and meet the horses for themselves. So far, only a handful of council members have accepted. We’ll see who shows up.

The politicians who come will see, Neeson has told reporters, that the horses are well cared for and content. This is pretty much what I saw when I visited those same stables. I was surprised by the invitation, but happy to get it, I think this is an important issue and I am proud to see that my blog and my writing is making its way around New York, where the fate of the horses will be decided. I suspect Christina Hansen had her finger in this, I will thank her personally.

The carriage horse people face a tough uphill battle, but a lot of people who love horses and animals are making themselves heard, and I think their message is finally getting out, above the din of their opponents.  Neeson, who is a close friend of the stable owner and a life-long horse rider and lover, has changed the dynamic of this debate a lot more than I have, he is an articulate and passionate defender of the carriage horse industry. He has said the mayor, who he likes and respects, has stumbled on this issue. I will be happy to meet Neeson and take a photo of him, some council members,  and a horse or two, a neat thing for me to put up on the blog. I don’t know if the City Council Members will be interested in talking with me or not, but if they do I will be happy to share my research and make the case for working animals staying engaged with humans rather than being banished to disappear from our world and most likely be sent to slaughter.

Earlier this morning, I published a Carriage Horse Fact Sheet which I’ll print out and bring with me, it might come in handy.

Maria is coming with me, she will run to a museum or two and I will ask her to help me out with the photo equipment. I might go and use the rest of my Kickstarter money to finally buy the Canon Dx 1 that I want, but couldn’t quite muster the nerve to buy two weeks ago.  I suspect she will like to meet Liam Neeson, I mentioned the invitation two of my women friends and they just shrieked. I told them people shriek at the sight of me all the time. I told my friends people often say I remind them of Liam Neeson, we look a lot alike.

We’ll stay in New York Saturday and Sunday and come back to the farm Monday morning, Deb Foster is moving in to cuddle with Red – she is totally smitten with Red – and the dogs and cats, I think it is like one big overnight for animals and Deb when we are away, I think they laugh and dance  and snuggle through the night, barely noticing we are gone.

So this is another interesting chapter in my life of living with animals and writing about them. I consider this one of the most important subjects I have ever written about, it has so much meaning not only for animals and those horses but for the people who love animals and live with them. It is a story about truth also, truth wants to live and be free, and I think it might just live in this case, thanks to the determination of the carriage horse people, to the skillful public relations work of Christina Hansen – she is David up against Goliath here –  and the willingness of a busy and famous movie star to stick his neck out for a pal and some horses. I think he must be a very good man, I am happy to go to New York to meet him.

I’ve only known one other famous movie star (I interviewed a bunch when I was a reporter) and that was Jeff Bridges, who starred in the movie adaptation of A Dog Year. He was a nice man, too, but I know that movie stars are different from most people.  I’ll be pleased to take Liam Neeson’s photo, honored that I was invited. The blog matters, it is heard. Thanks to so many of you for following the conflict over the horses for reading and sharing and encouraging my posts. I will give a full report when I get back on Monday. I suppose this battle is just getting underway, I am happy to be in the thick of it.