Watch NYC horses going to work

Do horses live in Central Park? Nah. Watch the video "Horse Carriage," which shows a glimpse of their daily commutes and their "workspaces" outside of the park.
Video courtesy of "HorsesinNYC"

From Manhattan's wild west

On the night shift
Here we see a carriage driver leading a horse eastbound on busy 45th Street, which runs westbound. They managed to maneuver through the evening rush-hour traffic and get to 10th Avenue for the treacherous commute to Central Park. In rush-hour traffic.
Support a ban on horse-drawn carriages in New York City, a measure that is endorsed by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) and the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS). Ask your City Council member to support the ban (Intro. 658).

What's the deal with the AP?

Instead of a story, we got a joke about a wedding gone wrong
Why run a 50-word news brief on the Brooklyn carriage accident? To make light of it, of course, as The Associated Press did in its pickup of the accident. We now know, thanks to other news outlets, that the horses involved were 2,000-pound Percherons, which is good news and bad. Their sheer size may be one reason that they survived the crash into the livery cab with only cuts to the legs. A 2,000-pound spooked horse, however, poses real danger to people who may be in his path. The carriage driver, who helped "steer" the out-of-control horses to a crash landing, suffered multiple broken ribs.

As Dave Barry pointed out years ago, AP staffers mostly sit at the desk and read newspapers. Too bad, because there's a story and a half here, and it remains to be told. The blistering but largely ignored 2007 audit of the carriage horse industry; the conflict of interest with Linda Gibbs (DOH) and her carriage industry lobbyist husband Thomas McMahon; the dirty dealings of Council Speaker Christine Quinn, who blocks the legislation that would ban horse-drawn carriages in NYC (a measure that is supported by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and the Humane Society of the United States); the national tragedy of horse slaughter, and on and on.

The silliness that is the AP. Did you hear the one the Jonas Salk obituary, which had a GenDesk editor ranting and raving about receiving "an 800-word obituary on some dead guy that no one's ever heard of!" Or the editor who bellowed, "Does anyone speak Spanish?" upon receiving a story that referred to the legal term "nolo contendre." No surprise that news gets by these guys. And now the AP is terrrorizing bloggers! Please!

Yet another carriage accident

The predictable result of putting horses in traffic
Two horses spooked in Brooklyn on Sunday, causing a wedding carriage to crash and injuring several people. The impact threw the carriage driver onto the windshield of a livery cab, police said. Another man was taken to a hospital, said a fire department spokesman. The carriage was awaiting its passengers when the horses spooked and ran down a busy avenue; the carriage ultimately crashed into a light pole. Police said the reins broke as the driver tried to steer the horses. One of the horses was treated for cuts on the leg.

There are conflicting early accounts of what caused the horses to spook. Regardless of the cause, it is not at all uncommon for these high-strung flight animals to spook and run, often with disastrous consequences to themselves and others. A 1200-pound animal is dangerous when frightened.

Photo credits: Maisel/Daily News
The carriage was licensed to Valentine Carriage. Hey Bridezillas, get real and take a limo! Animal cruelty is not entertainment. Tragedy was averted this time, but this latest accident reinforces that horse-drawn carriages are irrelevant, outdated, and have no place in 21st-century New York City. They endanger the public safety as well as the animals. The ASPCA supports a ban on horse-drawn carriages in New York City.
Read a colorful account on Gothamist
More photos on WNBC.com

Where do the horses live?

Getting real about living conditions
Tourists often ask where the horses live and are surprised to learn that the horses aren't housed in Central Park. Nope. Try W. 38th Street, over by 11th Avenue. Two miles from the park--20 blocks in frightful traffic.

Horses need high-quality sleep, and they need to stretch out. Here you see a New York City carriage horse who cannot lie down comfortably. This is typical of the living conditions for these horses: dirty, disgusting, and accessible only by way of a steep ramp.

Civil liberties

Horses like to roll around in the dirt to scratch their itches. That is, if they have the opportunity. That small liberty is not afforded to New York City carriage horses. For them, it's all work and no play. No respite at home, either. They're warehoused on the industrial west side of Manhattan, up to 2 miles from Central Park.
Pictured: West Side Livery. See why the nabe is called "Hell's Kitchen?"

Treats in Hell's Kitchen

For the drivers, that is
Ever find yourself on 10th Avenue in Hell's Kitchen, around 9 a.m., or 6 p.m.? These are rush hours, for motorists as well as carriage drivers from West Side Livery and Central Park Carriages. It's surely a good thing that a Dunkin' Donuts has opened on this noisy speedway, between 43rd and 44th Streets. The treat shop is a little farther down from the bus lane. This offers a bit of reassurance, because drivers have been spotted stopping for a snack in the deli just below the bus stop, leaving the carriage right on the avenue and trusting that the horse doesn't get spooked, or worse. Here you see "Rip Van Winkle" getting ready to pull over to the tried-and-true deli, and grab some smokes!
Bonus: Dunkin' sells soy lattes! Some of the drivers love that soy!