Gridlock

July 27, 2011 at the hack line near the Plaza Hotel in New York City. If tourists knew the dangers of this scenario to horses and people, taking a ride would not be an option.

Horses + traffic = danger ahead

Six blocks from the place where the carriage horse Spotty died in a horrific spooking accident in 2006, the white horse (in front of the building) is seen yesterday sandwiched in between parked cars and moving taxicabs.

A recipe for trouble, considering how easily horses spook and the consequences when a 1,500-pound animal runs wild.

This is business as usual for the carriage horses who live in the cramped and substandard stables at West Side Livery and Central Park Carriages. Both of these are on the far west side of Manhattan, below the Lincoln Tunnel. At 42nd Street, the scene is chaos--two bus lanes feeding eastward into the Port Authority, cars coming up Tenth Avenue, either via the tunnel or from lower Manhattan. This video from "HorsesinNYC" tells the story and shows the traffic and dangerous conditions that are a fact of life for the horses.

Be safe, Paddy

New York City welcomes best-selling Irish-American author Mary Higgins Clark as the grand marshal for the St. Patrick's Day parade on Thursday. In a break with the event's tradition of having the grand marshal walk the parade route, Ms. Clark will ride in a horse-drawn carriage to be pulled by a horse named Paddy. A very bad idea, indeed, although neither Ms. Clark nor the city seems to have given it much thought.

This decision immediately brought to mind the well-known dangers of putting horses into parades, especially large and noisy ones that are lined with noisy revelers and filled with pipes and drums.

A July Fourth parade last year in Bellevue, Iowa took a deadly turn when two horses spooked and bolted, killing a 61-year-old woman (the carriage driver's wife) and injuring 24 others, mostly small children who lined the parade route. One of the horses was killed. "It looked like a war zone," one witness said of the injuries in Iowa. "Backboards everywhere, kids strapped to them."

Cities and towns that put horse-drawn carriages into parades or traffic are putting the public safety at risk, since surveys have shown consistently that humans are almost always injured in carriage horse-spooking accidents. In 2010, the list of grisly carriage accidents in the United States was a long one. New York City has the highest horse-drawn carriage accident rate in the nation. Although human fatalities haven't happened yet, the 2006 accident that claimed the life of carriage horse Spotty critically injured the carriage driver (and occupants of a station wagon also were injured). Smoothie, the horse who died in 2007, had bolted in terror after being spooked by the sound of a drum in Central Park.

Tens of thousands of people have signed paper and online petitions calling for a ban in New York City of this industry. It is inhumane as well as dangerous. Horses spook easily, and it should come as no surprise when it happens in such a noisy place as a huge parade. No one in Iowa expected such a tragic turn. It just happened.

We hope that this year's parade is safe and joyous. If it is uneventful in terms of a spooking accident, be assured that it is only a matter of time until the next serious accident. Perhaps it is just as well that this year's parade route is shortened. The threat of injury, death, and legal liability make the city look reckless, mean-spirited, and foolish.

Learn more about why a ban is needed. Visit the websites of The Coalition to Ban Horse-Drawn Carriages and Horses Without Carriages International.

Photo credits:
2010 NYC St. Patrick's parade photo by Richard Perry/The New York Times
2010 Bellevue, Iowa parade photo by The Associated Press/via The Telegraph Herald, Karina Schroeder

Stay active!

Another accident, media take notice
Predictably, the rate of accidents involving horse-drawn carriages in New York City is increasing. The drivers are displaying more recklessness and arrogance than ever before, now that the Tweeders in city government have rewarded this corrupt, cash-only industry. Already this month, we know of two crashes near the park (on May 1, and on May 10).

Gothamist covered these accidents--but only after the Coalition to Ban Horse-Drawn Carriages and Friends of Animals sent details and photographs of the crashes. It was only after the stories were published online by Gothamist that the ASPCA finally acknowledged the accidents, and reiterated the dangerous of mixing cars and horses on city streets. It's too bad that ASPCA has remained silent on this issue during the last few years, apparently because of its corporate stance not to make waves (that would hurt its fund-raising?) So, for now, the horses will continue to suffer.

The Gothamist news coverage reaches a large audience in NYC and beyond. It would not have happened without the efforts of activists. Let's keep the momentum going and watch as the story unfolds online. It is a global story. Indeed, Laura Eldridge got it right in her blog on Huffington Post.

I'm back, things are worse than ever

Be the horses' eyes and ears
The mistreatment of New York City carriage horses is getting worse by the minute, now that the drivers and owners are being rewarded for fraudulent and reckless behavior. At least two carriage accidents have happened in the 2 weeks or so since the diminutive mayor bloomberg signed into law the crappy industry bill. No surprise that it was pushed through by the corrupt Council Speaker Christine Quinn.

No media coverage of the crashes, and no word on the condition of the horses. The useless ASPCA, once again, does nothing. It could have done a lot to end this dangerous and inhumane industry, but instead it did ... NOTHING.

The pics tell the story. Thanks for the photographic evidence. Keep it coming.











Top photo: Hell's Kitchen correspondent, May 13, 2010, at Shamrock Stables in NYC;
Bottom 2 photos: NYC tourist, May 1, 2010, at Columbus Circle, after a horse-spooking accident.

Don't make a date with cruelty

Say "no" to a carriage ride
Not a drop of water for the horses on January 27, when this picture was taken at Central Park. This is in blatant violation of the law. The Department of Health is completely unable, and apparently unwilling, to enforce the laws requiring the industry to provide an adequate amount of potable water for the carriage horses.The spigots to these troughs are turned off for half the year, and the drivers claim they carry water in buckets. That would be a neat trick, since the horses need a minimum of 10 to 12 gallons of water a day in cold weather.
Photo by Donny Moss (January 27, 2010, Central Park)
Related post on Carriage Horses -- NYC blog

No life for a horse

Animal suffering is not a tourist attraction
There are a number of similarities between the horse-drawn carriage industries in Charleston and New York City. Namely, both are politically entrenched, which further illustrates the sad divide between the way things are and the way things should be. Horse-drawn carriages should not be a political issue in these 21st-century cities.

"Earthvegan" blogger Vaishali is the latest to point out an uncivil and troubling disregard for animal suffering, coupled with an alarming cognitive dissonance that must be at work to enable these industries to exist. She writes of a visit to Charleston, where she witnessed the miserable spectacle of a carriage horse pulling 17 tourists around. She also calls out New York City, where the industry is fast gaining notoriety for its multistory stables and dangerous and inhumane working conditions. The one glimmer of hope in this story is that bad news travels as well as good news. Maybe even better.
Photo: From "If Horses Had Wishes"/earthvegan.blogspot.com
Related: "Horse-code violations" (The Post and Courier)
"Horse Pulling Carriage Falls" (The Post and Courier)
"Blinders," the award-winning documentary about NYC's carriage industry
Learn more: Coalition to Ban Horse-Drawn Carriages-NYC

Danger ahead

Putting us all in harm's way


This kind of reckless behavior speaks for itself: it is dangerous and it endangers the public safety. All those people around, and the driver surely doesn't have his eyes on the road or his horse.
Video from March 8, 2009, 72nd St. east-west transverse in Central Park.
Courtesy of YouTube member "DriversRunninScared"

The daily grind

If you think the carriage horse in this photo is making pretty good time, you're right! It is clear that they're moving at a brisk clip. The driver has left the park, above the busy roundabout at Columbus Circle. Here they are seen crossing Broadway, and the driver is taking his horse back to the stable (a dreadful commute down to Hell's Kitchen.)

Another driver was seen nearby on Thursday standing up in the carriage for several blocks--tightly clenching the reins--while his horse sped south (this after the driver had nudged the horse out into the middle of a busy intersection to begin the evening rush-hour journey). Standing up may give the driver some sense, anyway, of control. But if a horse should spook in heavy traffic, all bets are off. Horses, carriage drivers, motorists, bicyclists, and pedestrians are in harm's way.
Sometimes the horses are moving so fast that I can't get a photo. That happened last week at 43rd and Eighth Avenue, near Times Square. That horse was flying west on a street with potholes aplenty. The working on pavement day in, day out takes its toll on the horses, who are at risk for laminitis. It's understandably hard on arthritic joints and fragile hooves, equine experts agree.
Enforcement of the industry is sadly lacking, and the Departments of Health and Consumer Affairs are implicated in the sorry state of affairs. By law, carriage horses shall NOT be driven at a pace "faster than a trot." That never happens, right? WRONG!
Support a ban on horse-drawn carriages in NYC.
Photo: March 5, 2009

Horses in heavy traffic

Longtime carriage driver Cornelius Byrne has been quoted as saying that garbage trucks are among the things that carriage horses fear most. Unfortunately, the horses' daily commutes put them alongside garbage trucks, emergency vehicles, buses, and wailing fire engines. About 58 seconds in, this short video shows a horse hemmed in between a city bus and gridlocked traffic--while traffic helicopters hover overhead. A dangerous mix.
Video courtesy of YouTube users "HorsesinNYC" and "DriversRunninScared."
Cornelius Byrne's interview with The New Yorker, and more recent news
You can help: Support a ban on horse-drawn carriages in New York City

An outdated and inhumane industry

Includes footage from the documentary "Blinders," by filmmaker Donny Moss
The Humane Society of the United States wants you to know that horse-drawn carriages do not belong on the streets of the nation's busiest city. This inhumane industry endangers horses as well as people.
HSUS supports a ban on horse-drawn carriages in New York City.
Tell Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg that you support a ban on horse-drawn carriages in New York City.
Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg
City Hall
New York, NY 10007

PHONE 311 (or 212-NEW-YORK outside NYC)
FAX (212) 312-0700

If they had their druthers...

They'd have "free rein of the city"
Some of you heard at the recent hearing from carriage driver Frank Rodden, who, after all these years, is still talking about his "industry being the most regulated in the city." He's a broken record, as this piece from the New York Times archive shows. If he had his druthers today, I guess tourists would be seeing the sights from the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway, in a carriage.
All the rules in the world mean nothing if they are not enforced. Bad enough that the horses receive poor and infrequent veterinary care and live in filthy multistory stables. We also have a Department of Consumer Affairs that apparently doesn't even know the legal fare structure for a carriage ride, and shows every indication that it doesn't want to know! Cash only, and a ripoff!
How much is a ride, anyway? Watch "Tourists Overcharged," by YouTube member "HorsesinNYC"

Horses and people in harm's way

A carriage horse spooked recently in Charleston, S.C. What frightened him? A puddle of water. And a well-trained appaloosa named "Mouse" spooked at the presidential inaugural parade, which was delayed as a result. The slam of a car door frightened him. A close call, and he was injured but is recovering. Surely the inauguration is one of the most controlled events in history (and experts were standing by, which is probably why Mouse is still alive). These reports are not surprising. Every week, we read news accounts of highly trained, "bombproof" horses spooking. And this is why horses don't belong in New York City. Having horse-drawn carriages in the city is not safe. It is inhumane.
Update: By most news accounts, Mouse spooked and backed, kicking, into the grill of a truck, after spooking at the sound of car door slamming. A new report says that Mouse has a pet peeve: horse-drawn carriages, and that one had stopped beside him. The idea is distasteful enough to sentient beings. This parade veteran should stay away from New York City. He would be beside himself.
Photo: Kevin Wolf, Associated Press

Horse in heavy traffic

Why is this driver using his horse as a battering ram? Bad enough that this horse must work in traffic near the Manhattan entrance to the Lincoln Tunnel, and even worse that the poor horses are subjected to this commute daily. Four miles, round trip. Did you know that the horses live so far from the park?

Video used courtesy of YouTube user "DriversRunninScared"

Bless his fuzzy li'l heart

From County Antrim to Hell's Kitchen
Word on the street has it that Liam Neeson is moving again, this time to Hell's Kitchen! So smitten was the actor with a carriage horse stable he visited on Manhattan's west side that he said: "I would move in tomorrow!" Granted, it's a fixer-upper, but he has knack for the real estate bargains. (The smaller pic shows his 6,000-foot estate).


Plus, he's got the skills to pay the bills. After a few trips to Home Depot and Lowe's, he'll have the stables looking like home and smelling minty fresh.
His appearance on "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" was purely embarrassing. Seems like the ignominious result of a Xanax, a couple of beers, and flack's badly written script. Yikes.
New York City's carriage horses get no daily turnout and live in multistory stables in Hell's Kitchen. No life for a horse.
From the Blogosphere: Joshing Politics; the Central Park Blogger

Few blankets, few breaks

Some objectivity is needed here. Please add your comments. The horses were out on December 19 IN VIOLATION OF THE LAW, on icy streets. The peaceful demonstration was meant to show that the industry is operating with virtually no meaningful oversight. Trotting the horses on icy roads endangers not only the horses' lives, but human lives as well. This brings to mind the gruesome spooking accident that claimed Spotty's life on January 2, 2006. Three people were hospitalized, one critically injured.
Sadly, the ASPCA's apathy is misinterpreted by the public as endorsement of the industry. The huge organization does, however, remind the public to report violations of the laws.
"ASPCA Reminds Public of Laws Designed to Protect Carriage Horses"

Recent perspectives on ancient history

Horses deserve better; public safety is at risk
Thoughtful letter-writers have elucidated the rationale for a ban on horse-drawn carriages in New York City. J. Hoffner (Grasmere) wrote in the Staten Island Advance that she has counted at least 22 serious carriage accidents between 1998 and 2008, including 5 horse deaths and 19 human injuries, and asks: "How many are required to count as enough?" Read her letter and others, in response to the Nov. 30 opinion piece "Setting the Record Straight on Horse-Drawn Carriages" by "Blinders" filmmaker Donny Moss.

'Twas the night before Christmas

no break for the horses
Another busy week for carriage horses, who in New York City were getting a lot of attention after a video from filmmaker Donny Moss showed them trotting on icy streets during a snowstorm, getting soaked by sleet, and eating wet food, while the ASPCA did little but wring its hands. If you haven't already done so, watch the video--it's a real eye-opener.

Also causing a stir are two videos from "HorsesinNYC": one showing a driver gone wild and the other documenting tourists being overcharged. All of these were much talked about. The kind souls on Care2 circulated the storm story widely, the Central Park Blogger commented on the cruelty of this outdated industry, and described the ASPCA as "woefully out of touch." Gothamist weighed in on the story and so did the Pony Tales blog. Meanwhile, two carriage crashes in South Carolina have sparked outrage (people were injured, but the cub reporter didn't see fit to tell us the fate of the horses). In Michigan, a 15-year-old boy was at the reins of a carriage that was struck by a car, a crash that injured the horse so badly it had to be euthanized.
Photo credit: Donny Moss

Support a ban on horse-drawn carriages in New York City

Let the tourists beware

Holiday cheer? What a ripoff!
Tourists in New York City are always at the mercy of the con artists. Take a look at some bad business practices on the part of carriage horse drivers, brought to us by YouTube user "HorsesinNYC." This shows disgraceful and disrespectful behavior. And at least one driver has anger management issues.




Also view "Driver Gone Wild," from YouTube member "HorsesinNYC" and "On the ASPCA's watch," from "Blinders" filmmaker Donny Moss

Support a ban on horse-drawn carriages in New York City. Learn more

Driver gone wild

Thinking of taking a ride in a horse-drawn carriage through Central Park? Get a reality check before you hop in a carriage with this maniac. Pity the poor horses.


Video by YouTube member "HorsesinNYC"