Yesterday, a carriage horse collapsed and was pinned underneath its carriage outside Central Park South. A witness to the event said the horse was scared by a turning bus and attempted to run when it fell. The carriage industry’s spokesman, however, tells a different story, claiming that one of the vehicle’s wheels was caught against the wheel of another carriage.
The collapse comes at a time of heated debate for the horse-and-carriage industry. Mayor Bill de Blasio supports a proposed ban on the tourist attraction, which could replace the carriages with vintage-style electric cars.
A tourist who saw the incident happen provided this statement to PETA:
I was in town visiting from Oklahoma when I witnessed one of the worst animal cruelty incidents I have seen in a long time. A bus drove very close to a horse and spooked it (rightfully so, I was also scared of how close the busses were to us). The horse bucked and started to run when it’s carriage went of the curb and pinned the animal to the ground. (See picture) The men (if that’s what we want to call them) proceeded to hold the horse down and save their carriage (yes carriage, not horse) from further damage. One man suggested cutting the carriage and the other said no because it would come out of his pocket (he clearly had one concern, of which the horse was not). To top off the whole event, the men proceed to strap the horse back into harnesses and continue to work even though he was clearly limping and hurt!!! (I have video). Please help!!! I’m an attorney in Oklahoma so I will do what I can from there!!!
There’s no sign of the video the witness references, but PETA published this short clip of the aftermath.
The animal-rights organization NYCLASS is holding an anti-horse-and-carriage protest happening at 59th Street and Fifth Avenue, the scene of the accident, at 1PM today.
