For some, horseback riding through Central Park is a symbol of the Big Apple, like yellow cabs and Broadway shows. But to others, they don’t reflect the spirit of this leading progressive city in 21st-century America.
“Manhattan is probably the worst place in the world to have a work horse, because of the traffic, the noise, the pollution, the heat and the terrible conditions,” says Councilman Robert Holden, who has introduced a bill to replace workhorses. animals with electric carriages by June 2024.
Animal rights advocates have been trying for years to break up this industry, which encompasses 130 drivers who share 68 licenses for nearly 200 horses that live in city stables.
This month, his cause gained new momentum after a horse collapse on busy Ninth Avenue, which outraged many after a video showing the driver yelling at the animal to get up went viral on social media.
On Instagram, supermodel Bella Hadid called for the legislation promoted by Holden to be passed, calling this tourist attraction “barbaric.”
Opponents of these rides allege that the horses live in crowded conditions, are often malnourished and dehydrated, are frightened by traffic on the way to the park, and work against their will.
“They are literally treated like machines, and they are not machines,” says Edita Birnkrant, executive director of the anti-horse-drawn carriage group NYCLASS. “This should not be happening in modern New York.”
Operators say the horses are well cared for and point out that the industry is regulated by the city, with horses and stables subject to inspections by health and sanitation departments.
“They are happy and healthy. You can’t force a 1,500-pound animal to do something it doesn’t want to do,” insists Christina Hansen, who has been driving carriages in New York for 10 years.
By law, horses cannot work more than nine hours a day, nor when the temperature reaches 32ºC or falls below -7ºC.
– Migrant drivers –
Hansen, 42, says each horse gets at least five weeks of “vacation” on a farm each year. For her, New York would not be the same if carriages like the one that pulls her horse, her Oreo, were banned.
“We have appeared in movies and on television. We are as iconic as the Empire State Building or the Statue of Liberty,” he explains to AFP.
In Central Park, where 45-minute rides cost more than $160, opinions are divided among tourists.
“It’s absolutely immoral,” says British Cailey Tyler, who agrees with the ban.
Marina Perry, from Argentina, has no problem with rides as long as the horses are well treated. “It’s a cultural aspect of New York City that has been around for generations,” she says.
Hansen says the industry is “predominantly an immigrant business,” with drivers from 20 countries, including Brazil, Italy, Ireland, Mexico and Turkey. They can earn close to $100,000 a year.
Holden’s bill has 14 sponsors and needs 26 votes to pass. Activists hope the vote will be in October.
However, it will be difficult for the initiative to pass given that the drivers have the support of the powerful union of transport workers in the city.
“No one wants to drive an electric golf cart,” says Hansen.
But Holden insists that drivers will earn more from electric carriages because they will be able to work in any weather.
“It’s clean technology. It’s a win-win,” she says.
