A Carriage Horse Dies in New York City

Charlie a 15 year old carriage horse collapsed in Midtown on West 54 street on his way to Central Park on Sunday Oct. 23, 2011. He had only been working for 20 days prior to the incident. He had a stomach ulcer and a fractured tooth. Ever since this happened there has been great controversy between the carriage industry and animal activist groups.

I have grown up in Manhattan and it was shocking to hear about this. When I was little I would go to Central Park every Saturday with my dad and I remember giving one of the horses a carrot each time. The horse drawn carriages have been around for so long that I can not believe there has been actions of animal cruelty and no one has known about it.

The ASPCA and other organization want to ban the horse drawn carriages but Mayor Bloomberg is rejecting the idea. This is highlighted in a New York Times article called, After Carriage Horse Dies, Mayor Rejects Calls for Ban. Bloomberg expresses how the carriage industry is a part of New York City's history and that the horses are well taken care of. A bill was introduced last year with an alternative to the horse drawn carriages which would be electric cars that look like vintage automobiles. Mayor Bloomberg and the Horse and Carriage Association of New York do not support this ban or proposal.

New Yorkers for Clean, Livable and Safe Streets is the non-profit organization that is responsible for the proposal of electric automobiles. If you support this proposal then sign this petition.