Judge reins in effort to move carriage-horse pickup

Hold your horses.

A judge has said a temporary neigh to the city’s plan to force carriage horses to pick up and drop off their rides at designated spots inside Central Park.

Judge Arthur F. Engoron issued a temporary restraining order barring the city from enacting proposed Department of Transportation rules that would move the hack line for the horses from the streets to inside the park boundaries.

The city cannot enact the rules before a Nov. 8 court hearing where it will have to show cause as to why a judge shouldn’t rein in their plans, according to the order.

There was not a set start date for the rule — that cannot happen until it is finalized and published in the City Record.

De Blasio promised to ban the industry outright during his 2013 campaign for mayor — but could never muster the necessary votes in the City Council. A compromise plan to move the horses and their stables into Central Park also fell through.

“This Administration cares about the well-being of horses, and we will defend the final rule when it is published in the City Record,” de Blasio spokesman Seth Stein said. “This proposed rule would simply change the areas where passengers can get on or off horse carriages in Central Park, and limit horses’ interaction and potential conflict with vehicular traffic.”