Glee actor Lea Michele is raising her voice against the cruelty of horse-drawn carriages. In a shocking undercover video, Lea exposes the harsh conditions that these overworked horses are subjected to—all day, every day. The native New Yorker also posed with a rescued horse for a gorgeous peta2 ad to help spread the message that horses don’t belong in traffic.

Lea Michele Exposes Horse-Drawn Carriage Cruelty
“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,” Lea says. “At the end of the day, instead of relaxing on [an] easy chair or sleeping in a comfortable bed, you are locked in a tiny closet all night long.” This tortured life is a sad reality for the horses who are used to pull carriages.

During their workday, these horses are forced into dangerous traffic, where they develop respiratory ailments from inhaling exhaust fumes and debilitating leg problems from pounding the hard pavement. They constantly weave between cars and are often spooked by loud noises on the streets. As a result, accidents sometimes occur in which many horses and people are seriously injured or even killed. When not working, these horses are confined to cramped stalls in which they are unable to turn around, stretch their legs, or even lie down comfortably. Don’t get taken for a ride. Join Lea and countless others in boycotting horse-drawn carriages!

For more information and to take action, please visit NY-Class.org.

Watch Lea’s video exposé now, and click here to see an exclusive behind-the-scenes interview from her peta2 photo shoot.