Everything you need to know about NYC’s horse and carriage industry
An exhausted carriage horse collapsed on a busy Manhattan street during rush hour Wednesday, renewing calls to ban the practice.
Here’s what you need to know about one of the city’s most controversial industries.
How does the NYC horse and carriage trade work?
Horse-drawn carriages operate in Central Park above 34th Street, generally catering to tourists with hour-long rides for roughly $165. The for-hire buggies have rolled through the Big Apple since the 1880s.
Who are the drivers?
The drivers, some of whom own their own horses, are represented by the city’s powerful Transport Workers Union.
Where do the horses live ?
The city’s roughly 200 carriage horses live in stalls at privately owned stables in Manhattan, including at the Clinton Park Stables in Hell’s Kitchen.
Owners and operators say the animals are well-tended and that they are carrying on a time-honored New York tradition.
“Our horses live in their own individual box stalls, which give them plenty of room to move about and lie down comfortably to rest,” says Central Park Carriages, which sells carriage-guided tours.
Who opposes the practice and why?
A major opponent is the group New Yorkers for Clean, Livable and Safe Streets, which claims the animals are mistreated and the industry is cruel. The group wants to ban horses-for-hire in the city.
Animal rights activists also claim that using horses to transport people on the busy streets of Manhattan is dangerous and abusive.
Wasn’t Mayor de Blasio supposed to get rid of horse-drawn carriages?
Former Mayor De Blasio campaigned in 2013 on the promise of banning horse-drawn carriages “on day one” and tried several times to get it done — including with just days left in his final term.
Hizzoner had planned to phase out the use of the carriages in Central Park and replace them with “show cars” but ultimately failed.
He also became the subject of an FBI investigation after he took more than $100,000 in 2013 campaign contributions from NYCLASS near the time he endorsed a horse-and-carriage ban.
Who oversees the industry?
The horses are licensed and subject to inspection by New York City’s Health Department along with police, the Sanitation Department and the ASPCA.
What are the other rules buggy drivers must follow?
The City Council passed legislation in 2019 making it illegal for horse-drawn carriages to sell rides when temperatures hit 90 degrees or more. The animals are also not allowed to work more than nine hours a day.
