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NYC Horse Carriages Debate: Mayor, Carriage Drivers Reach Compromise In New Deal

By Heather Tooley
Published on: 07:48 PST, Jan 18, 2016

A compromise set to reduce the number of NYC horse carriages and move stables to Central Park will now go to the City Council for final approval.

Fox News reports that this will be a compromise between the drivers and Mayor Bill de Blasio. The mayor wanted to end the horse-drawn carriage rides in New York City because he believes it’s inhumane to expose the animals to loud surroundings in the busy city. When de Blasio was sworn in two years ago, he made a pledge to cease NYC horse carriages in the city.

It was announced late Sunday in a joint statement by de Blasio, a union representing the carriage drivers, and Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito that they reached a deal. The number of NYC horses will be reduced from 180 to 95, and operations will be strictly kept at the park. It wasn’t addressed whether carriage drivers losing their jobs would be compensated.

“We are pleased to have reached an agreement in concept on the future of New York’s horse carriage industry,” they said in a joint statement. “We look forward to working together on the final details of this legislation and getting this passed.”

Hearings will be held in the next few weeks with the City Council before a final agreement is made.

Under the terms of the compromise to reduce the NYC horse carriages, nine hours is the maximum they can operate and they must be able to charge an extra $5 for trips after 6 p.m. between November 15 and January 5, and on Valentine’s Day or Easter. Also, a stable must be completed within Central Park for the horses by October 2018 that’s capable of containing 68 carriages and 75 horses.

The horses are currently stabled at four privately-owned facilities on Manhattan’s West Side. Horses not being worked are required to be furloughed outside NYC, the deal states.

This part of the deal is believed to appease one complaint from animal rights activists, who insist that the safety of the horses was jeopardized each time they walked from their staging area to the south end of the park, where their private stables were located.

Elizabeth Forel of the Coalition to Ban Horse-Drawn Carriages says that the NYC horse carriage agreement is like “a sleazy real estate deal.”

“Street traffic was never the sole reason we advocated for a ban,” Forel said. “There are many other reasons including the sensitive, nervous nature of the horses; the very high turnover, which leads us to believe many of the unwanted go to the kill auctions, and punishing working conditions.”

According to AFP via MSN, a group that demanded a ban on horse carriage rides, NYClass, collected over 35,800 signatures in an online petition. It declared the horse carriage industry “cruel, inhumane and unsafe.” They further demand that the horses retire to sanctuaries.

“Horses do not belong in a congested, urban setting where they constantly breathe exhaust while dodging dangerous traffic,” read the petition on banning NYC horse carriages.

Horse carriage rides in New York City have been going on for a long time. It’s a traditional service offered to both city residents and visitors. With the concern for animal welfare sweeping the nation, NYC horse carriage rides are the latest in initiatives to stop using animals for entertainment. Circus elephants are being retired from performing with the Ringling Bros. With so many city ordinances banning circus elephants from appearing in shows, the organization felt the need to retire them two years early.

[Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images]

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