The Yankees are sending in an ace reliever to make a crucial save.
Mindy Levine, a longtime animal-rights activist and wife of Yankee president Randy Levine, is adopting Oreo (above), the endearing brown-and-white carriage horse that made headlines last month by making a run for it in Columbus Circle.
Activists who want to banish the carriage-horse industry from Central Park immediately pounced on the incident, which left his driver and two passengers spilled to the ground, as further evidence that working horses don’t belong in congested urban settings.
But Mindy Levine said she isn’t trying to make a statement, just save a horse.
“I love animals,” she said. “I don’t like fighting. When people fight, animals suffer.”
Oreo is currently living at Blue Star Equiculture, a horse sanctuary outside Springfield, Mass., where he’s receiving what amounts to psychological counseling. Physically, he’s fine.
“He just needs help understanding noises,” explained Pamela Rickenbach, who runs the non-profit operation. “He’s really smart — which got him into trouble in the first place. He really does think a lot.”
With a fierce war raging between the activists and the industry, Oreo’s owner, Frank Nolan, decided it was best to let him retire at a relatively young age.
Mindy Levine said that City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, a friend, acted as an intermediary to facilitate the adoption.
Rickenbach said Oreo won’t be put out to pasture at the Levines’ farm, which already has two other horses and five dogs.
“The draft breed needs exercise as part of their care protocol,” she said. “They really need homes that understand their special needs.”
Rickenbach estimated that it costs $3,000 to $7,000 a year to care for a rescued horse.
Mindy Levine appears ready to do whatever’s necessary to pamper the newest member of the Yankee family.
“I’ll have a trainer working with him,” she said. “We’re going to find out what makes him happy. We’re going to keep him busy.”
Along with a fresh start Oreo’s going to get a new name — Orion, in honor of the Yankees’ Universe Fund for pediatric cancer research.
Randy Levine happens to sit on the board of the ASPCA, which is pushing to get rid of all the Central Park horse-and-buggy rides.
“He wants to make it very clear this is not his adoption,” said Mindy, hoping to avoid controversy. But the Levines aren’t taking any chances. They’re installing add security at their farm before moving Oreo to his sweet new life.