On August 30, 2018, the NYC Department of Transportation submitted new draft rules outlining NYC Mayor de Blasio's plan to move the current horse-drawn carriage hack line out of busy traffic and into car-free Central Park. In a major victory for NYC carriage horses, the Department of Transportation has announced this move will finally be taking place!
The hack line move will officially take place once the Department of Transportation installs signage and completes minor construction in Central Park.
This was a long-awaited victory for carriage horses that LCA has worked tirelessly to achieve as carriage horses are often forced to work nine hours a day, seven days a week in extreme weather conditions, surrounded by blaring horns, noisy construction, and exhaust fumes that are prevalent on New York City's congested city streets.
LCA's undercover investigation into the cruel horse-drawn carriage industry documented the sad reality that NYC horses endure every day and found horses were often deprived of food and water, made to pull carriages when they were obviously in pain, and tethered so tightly in their stalls at night they were unable to lie down.
While horse-drawn carriages are clearly cruel and inhumane (and should be banned altogether as Mayor de Blasio promised on his campaign trail), this is definitely a step in the right direction and a major win for the suffering carriage horses of NYC. LCA will continue working to protect the horses and people of NYC until a complete ban on horse-drawn carriages is finally passed.
TAKE ACTION:
Contact your NYC Council Members and urge them to co-sponsor and support Intro 1425: Carriage Horse Heat Relief Bill, which would broaden protections for carriage horses working in sweltering temperatures. You can locate your NYC Council Member's phone number here: https://council.nyc.gov/districts/
Click here to learn more about LCA's horse-drawn carriage investigation.
Photo: Pixabay, LCA