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"

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!

2 miles the hard way--on steamy pavement

Wait long enough for a break, and you may be able to catch a glimpse of carriages coming up 10th Avenue. The buses around the Port Authority Bus Terminal and Lincoln Tunnel are lined up like jetliners on the runway at LaGuardia. This is how the horses commute from the West Side Livery and Central Park Carriages stables in the west 30s. That's right, they have to go to 59th Street to get to work. This video shows the part of New York that most tourists do not see. But they should.

The questions that keep me awake

Speaking of 10th Avenue...
What's the deal with horses trying to eat out of garbage cans? Are these creatures feisty critters, or just plain hungry? Is the idea to pull them over on the way up from the Byrne and West Side Livery stables for a bite from that bucket of tasty pellet food that they share with the pigeons, so that no time will be wasted when the horses get all the way up to the park?

And why would a driver pull a horse over for a break in a bus lane???

SUPPORT A BAN ON HORSE-DRAWN CARRIAGES in NYC.

Sola, perduta, abbandonata

An observation on the work horses' appearance
Could the horses from Central Park Carriages and the storied West Side Livery look any more pitiful and forlorn trudging up 10th Avenue? Probably not.
In late 2007, equine veterinarian Elizabeth Kilgallon looked at video that had been taken with a hidden camera for CBS 2 HD. Among her observations: some of the horses looked to be crammed into standing stalls so tight they can't turn around or lie down. She also noted the horses seemed to be standing in their own urine, manure, and on very little bedding. "I think the bare legal requirements have been met, but I don't think this is the best way for them to live," Dr. Kilgallon was quoted as saying after viewing the video.

Support a ban on horse-drawn carriages in NYC. Call your City Council member today.
What has City Council Speaker Christine Quinn done for horses, dogs, or cats lately, anyway?

Ed's note: There are many worse things that I could say about the one stable in particular, as readers well know. I took the high road here but may reconsider in the future. Rest in peace, Juliet.