http://www.nyclass.org/horse_drawn_carriages

The Problem: Horse Drawn Carriages

The harsh reality of the life of a carriage horse working in New York City is that horses simply are not meant to work in dangerous midtown traffic.

They 220 horses (68 medallions) routinely work at least 9 hours a day, pulling a vehicle that weighs hundreds of pounds, on hard pavement, while breathing exhaust from cars, buses and taxis. Unaccustomed to the urban environment, horses can be "spooked" easily and cause accidents that inflict great damage on vehicles, drivers and most often, the horses themselves. There were more than 18 accidents in the past two years alone.

At the end of the day the horses return to their tiny stalls in stableson the far West side of the city, or as Jon Stewart once called it, "The sad-eyed horse carriage district." The cramped space doesn't allow these enormous animals to lie down or to move about freely. Nor are they afforded any turn-out or pasture time that equine veterinarians agree is needed for horses to live healthy lives.

After they work the busy and unsafe streets of NYC, the carraige horses are sent to auctions in Pennsylvania where they can be - and are - sold to kill-buyers who transport the animals to Mexico or Canada to be inhumanely slaughtered for exported meat.


New York City has the highest horse-drawn carriage accident rate in the country. Below is a partial list:

November 3, 2010
A New York City bus hit a horse during rush hour. The carriage horse was grazed by the bus on 7th Avenue, at around 54th street. A witness says the horse "was spooked and evidently frightened out of his/her wits.

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"Beef-a-reeno" is not suggested

Tikki

against these horse drawn carriages everywhere.

I rode in one on Mackinaw Island and learned first hand what they go thru. Never again.

He's probably busy working out the details of the soft drink ban.