NYC’s horses will be getting a taste of Olde York. TWU 100, the union which represents the city’s carriage drivers, announced they are bringing on Tristan Aldrich, a trainer, horse expert and coachman with experience working the stables at Buckingham Palace. He will be in the park once a week where, among other duties, he will be observing the horses, keeping an eye out for any health concerns, and promoting best practices to drivers.
Aldrich is working with Dr. Gabriel Cook, an equine veteran and surgeon with 32 years experience, who has been conducting twice weekly visits to the stables since last August. Cook claims the horses are well cared for via established protocols.
Advertisement
Animal rights activists disagree. Edita Birnkrant, the Executive Director of New Yorkers for Clean, Livable, and Safe Streets (NYCLASS), dismissed the union’s announcement as a “smoke screen” and many in New York have been trying to abolish the vehicles for years. It was among one of Mayor Deblasio’s first campaign promises, although he was opposed by the New York State Veterinary Medical Society. Ultimately, Deblasio was unable to fulfill his promise, though he was able to limit horse and carriage pick up spots to five locations in Central Park, which helped keep them away from traffic.
Support for the horse and carriage ban has been fueled by a series of well publicized incidents of horses being hurt or killed on the job. In March 2020, a horse named Aysha collapsed and died on video, leading to protests. In September 2021, a video of a horse named Chief colliding with a black sedan in the middle of rush hour went semiviral. Most recently, in August 2022, a horse named Ryder was seen collapsed on the street in the heat, being hosed off by police before shakily rising to his feet. That led to the proposal of Ryder’s Law which, if enacted, would phase out and ban horse-drawn carriages in the city and replace them with horseless, electric carriages. The City Council has yet to take up the cause.
One thing is for sure: the horses and carriages have ignited a passionate debate among New Yorkers. Some say they are, in reality, some of the best treated horses you’ll find anywhere in the world. Besides, they’re a symbol of the city, they bring in tourists, they create jobs, and they add a little pomp and circumstance. Others argue that they are a cruel relic of a bygone era with no place in the modern world. Having spent decades working for the royal family, it’s a debate that should make Mr. Aldrich feel right at home.
This doesn’t mean jack squat! Bucking shmuckingham… It’s time this anachronistic horsesh*t was put out to pasture! The carriage drivers can go drive a cab and the horses can get back to roaming freely in a place they belong! Not in a major metropolitan center!
I find it quite odd that people are worried about the health and safety of the horses, but seem oblivious to the health of the human beings who tote tourists around in their bicycle carts (at $7.99 per minute sometimes!) in 90+ degree heat and think that THAT is humane. I guess they prefer that the people die from heat stroke than the ever-so-rare medical events that befall the carriage horses.
Yikes. Uh, you missed the whole point. Horses don’t get to choose. Wow.
1- the pedicabs make the choice everyday for themselves 2- please provide a reference to a pedicab dying of heat stroke, there are examples of horses, but I haven’t heard of a pedicab driver during of heat stroke
What New Yorkers, besides the carriage workers, are debating this? Over 70% of New Yorkers are against the carriages, what else has over 70% of New Yorkers agreed on? Why didn’t the article mention that Ryder was euthanized? Also failed to mention that while the hack lines are limited to a few locations, none of the laws in place are enforced. Also that the vets that the TWU has hired have falsified records. Why wasn’t Mckeever mentioned?
One of my favorite memories was memorialized in an 8×10 black and white school portrait of my brother and me atop a pony.
Even if the Pony had dropped right there, the picture was so worth it.
I flag down bike carters and horse carriages all the time and give the establishment a nice fat tip. I hope this keeps them going through the hard city winters when the slush and mud can be so deep and slippery, sliding out of the carriage harnessing and hames is absolutely so dangerous. The price of a bail of good alfalfa hay delivered to a city stables today rivals the escalating costs of an Angus burger for the driver/pedaler.
I say we ought to consider these draft animals and bikers happiest doing what they’re born to do and pay them to pull!
Happier in the Harness, UWS
Horses do not belong on the streets of any major city.
I was raised around horses, had my own, and my father trained horses.
You weren’t raised in a city, nor were Daddy’s horses.
Ever seen “Shootout at the OK Corral” or “Tombstone”? “Jack the Ripper” or “Oliver”? How bout Odysseus’ attack on Troy? Horses in cities for ages.
Wild horses are pests. Thoroughbreds are more subject to danger.
I say city horses if cared for like any other domesticated animal are happy to pull.
ps I’ve had draft horses and worked with them on my farm.
Happy Hames
Even if you put aside the animal rights part of this discussion, why are the carriage drivers allowed to disobey all traffic laws? I see them putting peoples lives at risk every single day.
There are alerts for people to stay indoors when the weather is very hot and yet somehow a small group of horse carriage drivers have managed to hijack the health of animals. Bill Di Blasio didn’t do a lot of things he pledged to do, but his abject failure on this subject is egregious.
Couldn’t a reasonable compromise be keeping them off city streets (59th, CPW, Fifth Ave), and just have them in Central Park only?
Horses have not been in cities with cars, trucks and buses for ages. Wild horses are not pests.
Hi Walt: try googling “Mounted Police in ______ enter a city and check your results.
I ran “Chicago”, “LA”, “SF” and got bored.
I’ll bet you find cops riding horses in Pocatello, Albuquerque and Winnemucca.
Horses are great for crowd management, park policing and maybe roping wayward cows.
I’m gonna bow out now- while I love horses, I believe MOST of the horses we have here in NYC are deeply loved and well cared for.- think of the costs owners must incur and the line of work’s effects on their lifestyle. Easier to be a bricklayer! I personally can’t see driving a carriage, but if I did, you can be sure my horse would get the best care, feeding and love possible. It’s my opinion that many of us abjectly and without much thought or research make claims that are heartfelt but almost baseless. Ponder the fact that many horses love pulling for their owners. You’d be depriving horses like this of what they love to do.
Harry Hames
This isn’t a conversation about mounted units. Also, most of the carriage drivers aren’t the owners. A lot of assumptions are being made by people in these comments and I like to stick to the facts.
So what are the facts, as you understand them to be?