carriage horse

He has promised to turn city animal shelters into no-kill havens for homeless pets, and has said he’ll ban carriage horse rides in Central Park—a campaign promise former Democratic Mayor Bill de Blasio made ahead of his first term but failed to achieve during eight years in office.

In the wake of Ryder’s accident, the carriage horse industry itself has called upon the city to step up oversight.

Its requests include a full-time city equine veterinarian, updated rules and training for drivers and the creation of a carriage horse stable inside Central Park.

In her box stall on 52nd Street, Fintzi’s shaggy draft horse Stella, a Chicago carriage horse until that city banned the practice in 2020, nibbled hay on a recent afternoon.

Carriage horse owners insist every effort is made to care for the animals in retirement or place them in new permanent homes.