The long-simmering controversy over horse-drawn carriages in New York City heated up again this week, as the mayor and city council president agreed on a bill to ban the carriages as of June 1, 2028. The bill is slated for a vote from the council Oct. 22, but even if it passes (which is likely), it will not be the last word.
As the New York Daily News stated in an editorial Oct. 16, the bill is “an unworkable mess” for so many reasons. For one thing, it dictates that the horses cannot be sold to pull carriages, and has several other restrictions on what should happen to them after they stop working in New York. The horses are private property; it’s up to their owners to determine their future.
It also doesn’t take into account the hundreds of thousands of dollars that carriage operators spent buying city-required medallions, just as taxi operators must do. That’s a big investment to dissolve into nothing.
Carriage horses have been a part of the New York City scene for generations.
And no real provision has been made for how the horse owners/drivers, grooms and stable workers can stay off the unemployment rolls if they no skills other than what they put to use in the carriage industry.
There has been ample time to answer all these questions and more over years of concern about carriage horses on the city’s streets, but nothing has been done. There have been proposals to house the horses in Central Park, which would keep them off the streets. The stables where the horses live are on valuable real estate along the city’s west side. They must go through traffic to get there from the park.
In 2016, former Mayor Bill De Blasio worked on a concept that would have reduced the number of carriage horses in order to give them a new home, proposing a taxpayer-funded, 14,000-square-foot stable inside Central Park along the 86th Street Transverse. It didn’t happen, but such an arrangement would have kept them off city streets.
There has been a cascade of commentary on social media about the situation. Sadly, many of those weighing in are clueless about horses, often suggesting that they just need to be able to run free in grassy fields (where? whose?) or be adopted by rescues that already are straining to take care of the animals for which they are responsible. The commenters all too often know nothing about horses, their care or the costs involved; most public officials in the city seem to be in that group as well.
In the morass of postings on the subject, there are good horse people trying to educate those have no grasp of the situation. Two experienced carriage horse owners have written particularly compelling pieces that may illuminate those who read them.
Lori Volden of Cannon Valley Percherons in Wisconsin noted, “As a lifelong horsewoman, registered Percheron breeder of 30 years, and carriage operator, it saddens me to see so much misinformation surrounding the proposed NYC carriage horse ban.
“Pulling a properly fitted carriage is not inherently abuse. Walking on pavement is not inherently abuse. Being outdoors in the sunshine is not inherently abuse. Like any horse, working horses deserve proper care, appropriate workloads and responsible owners. Address legitimate welfare concerns with enforceable standards, not blanket bans.
Lori Volden of Cannon Valley Percherons with her horses.
“These horses are privately owned, not city property, and when their owners lose their livelihoods, there is no guarantee every horse will find a suitable home. Horses are expensive to keep, and good intentions don’t pay for hay, veterinary care, farriers, and facilities.
“I know that even responsible breeders cannot control a horse’s fate once it leaves their care. I’ve seen first-hand how soundness issues can change a horse’s future, and I know that some horses ultimately end up in Canadian slaughter pipeline. Promising `adoption’ is not the same as guaranteeing a safe permanent home and a lifetime of expensive care.”
She added, “I’m also deeply concerned about the future of the draft horse breeds. I’ve watched Percheron numbers decline throughout my years in the industry. These horses need a purpose and a market to encourage people to continue breeding, training, and preserving them.
“I believe we should hold bad actors accountable, but eliminating legitimate working opportunities has consequences that extend far beyond the city streets. If this ban is truly about protecting horses, then we must consider what happens to them afterward — not just celebrate the industry we’re eliminating. I believe responsible ownership and meaningful welfare standards are a better path than assuming every horse will somehow find a perfect home.”
Tristine Slayton of Vintage Carriage in Texas, added these thoughts:
“What happens when we eliminate their purpose? Draft horses are expensive to maintain, requiring feed, hay, farriers, veterinary care, land and facilities. There is no guarantee that every horse will find a suitable retirement home or that someone will pay for its lifetime care.
“After 30 years breeding Percherons, I’ve watched the challenges of preserving these magnificent animals first-hand. When mechanization pushed draft horses out of agriculture, their numbers plummeted. Dedicated breeders and owners helped preserve them. What happens when we once again decide they no longer have a place in modern society?
“I’m not saying every carriage operation is perfect or that animal welfare should ever take a back seat to profit or tradition. I’m saying banning an industry is not the same as solving a welfare problem. We should focus on responsible ownership, enforceable welfare standards, accountability and realistic plans for these horses’ futures.”
She pointed out, “When we remove animals from public life and eliminate the purposes that sustain their breeds, we risk losing not only the animals themselves, but also the knowledge, traditions, and human connections that have kept them alive for generations.”
And here’s an important perspective from Tristine, “The (carriage) horses may be the immediate debate, but the bigger question is this: What happens when we decide that animals no longer have a place in our modern world? It’s a conversation we need to have before we make decisions that may be impossible to reverse.”