Ariel is a New York Carriage Horse Driver. He was born in Israel, grew up on a kibbutz with horses. He is a spiritualist and a generous and sweet man, he meets handicapped people in the park, teaches children about animals, works with Native-Americans to restore the bond between people and horses that has been broken. He is a kind and soft-spoken man with gentle eyes and a sad face.
Next year he is working with Native-Americans on a pilgrimage with horses to Israel for World Peace Day. He came to the City Hall rally to save the jobs of the carriage horses on Monday with a box that had an old model of a horse and wagon, he wanted to connect the history of horses and humans to the carriage horse controversy. After the rally ended, he stood on the steps of City Hall with his horse and carriage, making his own statement to the world. It was an image that stuck in my mind.
For some years now, the people in the carriage trade have been called the vilest of names – abusers, torturers, thieves, “random people” without virtue, immoral. When you meet people in the carriage trade like Ariel, you come to see quickly that this is a libel and a lie.