Central Park carriage horse drivers gave rides during last week’s heat wave despite the city’s work suspension for all horse-drawn carriages — cruelly “overdriving” exhausted elderly equines, an animal rights group alleged.
Under the city’s administrative code, carriage horses must stop working and return to their stables when the temperature hits 90 degrees.
On Wednesday, the city Department of Health issued a heat suspension at 11:08 a.m., but at least two carriage drivers violated the order, charged NYCLASS, a non-profit that has fought to ban or restrict carriage horses.
NYCLASS sent the Mayor’s Office of Animal Welfare a video showing a white carriage picking up and taking new passengers at 11:17 am, it said.
Another video posted on X shows what it described as a lame horse “suffering in the intense heat,” lugging a red carriage back to West Side Livery Stables in Hell’s Kitchen – 90 minutes after the work suspension.
“There are visibly lame and injured horses in agony, pulling carriages in that brutal heat,” said Edita Birnkrant, NYCLASS executive director. “This violates animal cruelty laws.”
Christina Hansen, a carriage driver and industry spokesperson, said the first driver did not pick up new passengers, but in “an act of kindness” took the same passengers, who got on again at Fifth Avenue, a block closer to their hotel because one had difficulty walking.
When carriage drivers get a text message alerting them to a city heat suspension, they have 30 minutes to finish a ride in progress — and can “rest and water” the horse before returning them to the stable, Hansen said.
The horse’s limp, seen in the video, was caused by a loose shoe, which was fixed, she explained.
On Wednesday, Birnkrant urged Alexandra Silver, a City Hall animal-welfare liaison, to ask the NYPD’s Animal Cruelty Investigation Squad to probe the alleged heat violations.
“This abuse is allowed to occur because the city is letting it happen,” Birnkrant said.
The city acknowledged the complaints. “We are aware that many people have concerns about the treatment of carriage horses in this week’s heat and are looking into these claims,” said Health Department spokesman Patrick Gallahue.