Why Glee's Lea Michele Sounds, Um, Horse

Actress sounds off in new PETA campaign to end carriage rides in NYC

It's safe to assume that Lea Michele's boyfriend will not be taking her on a horse-drawn carriage ride through New York City anytime soon.

It's not that the Glee star isn't a romantic, but...

Michele stars in a new PETA campaign aimed at ending horse-drawn carriage rides in NYC. (No, it's not one of the animal rights group's iconic "Naked" ads!)

"Imagine for a moment that you're forced to do hard physical labor all day, seven days a week, whether it's sweltering hot or freezing cold outside," Michele says in a new video PSA. "At the end of the day, instead of relaxing on an easy chair or sleeping in a comfortable bed, you're locked in a tiny closet all night long. That's what it's like for horses who are forced to pull carriages in New York City."

The video includes footage that shows horses being housed in rundown buildings never intended to be used as stables. "After a long day of hauling heavy tourists and being forced to breathe exhaust fumes, these horses must walk through miles of dangerous traffic and climb up steep ramps to reach the upper floors of the multi-story midtown stables where they're kept when they're not working," Michele says, adding, "These stables would become death traps if a fire broke out."

Michele isn't just asking for conditions to be improved. "Horses in the carriage industry are deprived of everything that makes their lives worth living," she says. "Don't get taken for a ride. Please boycott horse-drawn carriages."

A print PSA features Michele along with a beautiful white horse. "Horses don't belong in NYC traffic," the ad reads. "Help put horse-drawn carriages out to pasture."