Good People

Has it really been nearly five months since Cornelius Byrne, owner of Central Park Carriage Stables, was arrested on accusations of offering an undercover investigator $100 to overlook seven alleged violations at his stable? Apparently. As carriage drivers delight in saying, the arrest had nothing to do with any treatment or mistreatment of the horses. Rather, the issue was said to pertain to licenses. For example, the same identification number allegedly was used for two different horses. Read the release from the New York City Department of Investigation.
Go figure. It boggles my mind to contemplate the logic of such. Maybe the city audit of the industry (2007) can shed some light on intricacies of licensing. The drivers also claim to love the audit, because it places blame elsewhere (ie, on lack of oversight). Which is why the ASPCA, HSUS, and many other humane organizations have joined forces as part of a coalition to ban horse-drawn carriages outright--because conditions cannot be made safe for the horses and regulation is not a viable option. Photo credit: Steven Hirsch