The coat of arms of New York will soon be threatened. Like yellow taxis, the Statue of Liberty, or even Broadway, horse-drawn carriages are an integral part of the clichés surrounding the Big Apple. But these tourist rides around Central Park are now in the sights of elected officials and animal advocates who would prefer electric carts.
“Manhattan is probably the worst place on the planet to work a horse, traffic, noise, pollution and heat.”, complains Robert Holden. This New York City Council member is the author of a bill that calls for replacing horse-drawn carriages with electric cars by June 2024.
For years, animal rights activists – increasingly in the United States – have wanted to end this tourist attraction that has existed around Manhattan’s green lungs since the 19th century. New York now has 130 carriages sharing 68 licenses and about 200 horses sheltered in municipal stables.
“Barbaric” walks for animal advocates
Already in early August, opponents of horse-drawn carriages, including PETA activists, mobilized after a horse suddenly collapsed on the pavement of Manhattan’s massive 9th Avenue, lined with skyscrapers, on a hot afternoon. A video posted on social media shows the animal sitting on the ground while angry drivers tell it to get up.
Micro-display vs “atrocity” horse-drawn carriages gathered 15 people. Top Bella Hadid judged these walks the part on Instagram “barbarism” and urged the New York City Council to pass Robert Holden’s bill.
For animal advocates, New York’s horses live in poor conditions. They especially suffer from malnutrition and dehydration and are terrified of vehicular traffic. “They are treated like machines and they are not machines”thunders Edita Birnkrant, director of the livestock group NYCLASS, who believes that horse-drawn carriages have nothing to do here. “Modern New York”.
Strict rules governing the profession
Rather, the operators ensure that these horses are treated well and that their quarters are closely monitored by the city’s health authorities. In fact, they are forbidden to work more than nine hours a day, above 32 degrees in summer and below 7 degrees in winter.
horses “They are happy and healthy. You can’t force a 1,500-pound (680 kg) animal to do something it doesn’t want to do.”, claims Christina Hansen, a coachwoman in New York for ten years and whose horse Oreo is entitled to his five-week annual “vacation” at the farm. And what would New York be without its horse-drawn carriages, asks this 42-year-old woman. “You see us in movies and on TV. We are as photogenic as the Empire State Building and the Statue of Liberty.”.
You see us in movies and on TV. We are as photogenic as the Empire State Building and the Statue of Liberty
In Central Park, where a 45-minute walk still costs $160, tourists shared: “Absolute immorality”.exclaims Britain’s Keil in favor of the ban, just as Maria, the Pole, for whom to see horses. “under the heat” gives New York “worst impression”. Others are more nuanced, like Maria, originally from Argentina, who sees “a cultural dimension that continues for generations”.
For many, the financial windfall can be significant. According to Christina Hansen, a horse-drawn carriage driver can really make $100,000 a year. On the contrary, supporters of Robert Holden’s bill are hoping for a vote in October. But nothing is less certain, because the coachmen are supported by the powerful union of urban transport. A battle that is far from being won in advance.
Source: Le Figaro
