Put carriage horses out to pasture

Afew weeks ago, a Central Park carriage horse named Billy dropped dead from colic in his stable, after being forced to work during a heat wave. Four weeks ago, a carriage horse named Freddy bolted into oncoming traffic across Fifth Ave., crashing into two cars, resulting in bloody injuries for the horse, damage to cars and a traffic jam. A pedestrian crossing the street was also injured.

These are just the latest tragedies resulting from forcing horses — prey animals that run out of control when frightened — to pull carriages through vehicle-clogged Midtown. A few weeks prior, a horse named Luciana collapsed in the park, and to the horror of many screaming onlookers, the driver tried to drag her by her tail and head, and even kicked her, according to witnesses, in a cruel, improper effort to get the sick animal back on her feet.

Sad stories about the industry aren’t new. The horses that pull carriages through Midtown too often become injured or killed and put carriage passengers, motorists, pedestrians and cyclists in danger. There is also ample documentation of underweight, sick and injured horses being forced to pull carriages. The city’s carriage horses are housed in warehouse-type buildings on the Far West Side, in too-small stalls with precious little ability to move about freely or be with other horses. They are denied everything that makes life worth living for a horse. This has to end.

I, along with my City Council colleagues, introduced a bill that replaces unsafe, inhumane horsedrawn carriages with innovative and cruelty-free horseless electric carriages. Even if ending animal abuse is not your most important issue, the overlapping issues of labor, economic development and tourism beg your attention. My bill will save these horses from a lifetime of hardship, increase income for the carriage drivers and create an impressive tourist attraction.

This legislation does not simply replace horse carriages in New York; it expands a tourist attraction that will allow present-day horse carriage drivers to service more customers, make more money and remove the controversial animal abuse that plagues the industry.

The city would be responsible for establishing a program to lease or sell new electric carriages to prospective owners, with priority given to existing horse-drawn cab license holders. Cities in Europe, Asia, the Middle East and Mexico have transitioned to electric carriages. Interviews with electric carriage owners in Guadalajara all reported increased incomes, sometimes by as much as 100%. The bill will go through rigorous discussion and it may be possible to give more drivers, most of whom make very little and don’t own their horses, a chance to own their new rigs.

Unlike horses, which require rest and cannot perform in extreme weather, these carriages can work all year round. Additionally, restrictions regarding solicitation outside of Central Park would be removed. The bill would allow for expanded staging, pick-up and drop-off areas, including Central Park South, Times Square and other tourist areas such as the Museum of Natural History, Rockefeller Center and the Theater District. Finally, my bill requires workers to be paid a prevailing wage set by the city comptroller, which, combined with expanded working hours, will ensure increased income, better benefits and protections for all drivers.

Of course, the safety of animals and New Yorkers is at the forefront of our minds. Horses have a highly evolved flight drive. Veterinarian Dr. Jim Keen said, “In my experience, most bad outcomes for animals happen when there is a disconnect between the animal’s nature, biology, and behavioral and health needs and the environment we place those animals in.” The health and welfare problems of carriage horses cannot be managed away in an urban environment as large and congested as New York.

Despite claims that these horses are well cared for, the carriage owners employ disgraced veterinarian Dr. Camilo Sierra to examine carriage horses. Sierra’s list of infractions includes the falsifying of health reports and improper drugging of horses. The Transport Workers Union, which represents horse carriage drivers, reported that Luciana was examined by Sierra, even though his license had a “suspended stay” status by the state and he’s been sanctioned at least seven times.

A horse-drawn carriage ride around Central Park might seem like a fairy tale. But for the animals involved, it is an inescapable nightmare. The horses’ plight is not worthy of romanticism in this modern age just because we’ve been doing it for centuries.

We need new ideas to get tourists back into our city. If we implement a transition to horseless electric carriages, we would be the first city in the U.S. to do so, creating a one-of-a kind tourist attraction right here in New York. We can end the animal abuse and public safety dangers, while increasing the income of carriage drivers. I urge my colleagues and all New Yorkers to get behind this bill.