The driver of one of New York City’s horse-drawn carriages had a problem with the vehicle’s canopy on Sunday, and when he tried to fix it, the horse took that as an opportunity to break free of its chains and escape. Unfortunately for the carriage driver, he ended up getting dragged behind the horse while it fled, PIX11 reports.
In the process of making its escape, the horse also hit four cars before it slipped and fell near 12th Avenue and 55th Street in Hell’s Kitchen and was recaptured. The New York City Police Department said two off-duty officers from its mounted unit then took the horse back to the Clinton Park Stables. The horse was reportedly not hurt, while the driver was taken to the hospital to be treated for minor injuries.
Following the incident, Edita Birnkrant, the Executive Director of the animal rights non-profit NYCLASS told reporters:
This is another prime example of exactly why New York City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams and Mayor Eric Adams must take swift action to fast-track and pass legislation to remove cruel and unsafe horse carriages from our streets. Horses are prey animals with a highly developed flight drive – they bolt when frightened, which is exactly what happened to 15-year-old carriage horse Gunner today…Forcing horses into Midtown traffic is a public safety danger, as well as animal cruelty – it must end immediately. The overwhelming majority of New Yorkers polled want horse carriages removed from our streets.
While tourists likely find New York City’s horse-drawn carriages charming, we’re inclined to agree with Birnkrant. The companies that operate these carriages will, of course, tell you that their horses are treated well, but clearly, there are still plenty of risks. The horse could easily have been killed by a driver who didn’t expect a loose horse to run into the road, and even the fall it sustained could have injured it badly enough that it had to be put down. And that’s not even mentioning the potential risk a panicking horse poses to pedestrians. Honestly, considering how loud and chaotic Manhattan can be, we’re a little surprised incidents like this don’t happen more often.