Cathy Stewart is a photographer who lives in Hell’s Kitchen in Manhattan, close to the Clinton Park Stables, she writes beautifully on her blog about the history, grit, majesty and tenderness of the horses, how wonderful it is to hear the clip-clopping of their hooves as they go back and forth from the park each day. She walked over to the stables last week and asked to come in and was invited to take whatever photos she wanted.
She is a serious photographer, her photographs are powerful, she says she wants her lenses to be non-partisan, and that is a beautiful thought. I am not non-partisan on this question, I think it a travesty to banish these horses from our greatest city. It seems a travesty to me that these beautiful and gentle animals will be taken away, to never be seen again. Yet I know what Cathy means, my lenses are non-partisan too. The horses speak through my photos and those of others.
Cathy Stewart and her photos and words have grasped the magic and majesty of the horses. The horses are calling the photographers to them, because photos are not partisan, they do not lie, their tell their own story. Because the people who use words have failed them. Yesterday I saw several photographers at the Clinton Park Stables, more are coming all of the time, the stables are open to anyone with a camera.
We are constantly being told that the horses do not belong in New York, they can only live on rescue farms and vanish from our lives, perhaps the mayor could speak with Cathy Stewart, if he won’t speak to the carriage owners and drivers, hers is a voice that needs to be heard, she is a neighbor of the horses, she cherishes their presence. The horses have great meaning for her.
We photographers seem to be especially touched by the drama of the horses, we want to use our cameras to tell their story. I hope the carriage trade people will one day be moved to set up a blog to publish all of these images, they are a powerful testament to their cause. The Irish are all poets, they hear and feel things that are lost to many of us. The photographers are hearing the horses call. Perhaps we want to capture the horses before they go, perhaps we want to capture the horses so that they can stay. I think the horses are calling me and the photographers to speak for them and tell their story. For anyone concerned about the horses, I would recommend Cathy Stewart’s photos and her touching blog.
