Photo by Catharina Thuemling
By Catharina Thuemling
Let the horse be replaced with horsepower!
Councilman Fernando Cabrera, representing Kingsbridge, Bedford Park and Fordham showed off an alternative for horse drawn carriages in New York City.
The so-called e-carriage–a sleek, Rolls Royce-styled car with modern amenities–was unveiled on Oct. 29 outside Cabrera’s district office on Burnside Avenue. He was joined by NYCLASS, an animal rights group pushing for the change.
The presented prototype of the e-carriage is designed like a car “that [is] similar [to] touring type vehicle of the time that you might have seen in New York City in a simpler time,” said Allie Feldman, Executive Director of NYCLASS.
Critics have blasted horse drawn carriages in New York City since the days when former Mayor Michael Bloomberg had advocated for them. NYCLASS says the horses are placed in tight holding areas when not in use, while leaving behind clumps of feces behind city streets when being hauled around. It’s led the group to call for an all-out ban on horse drawn carriage rides that are typical in Central Park.
Feldman noted there were 14 hit-and-runs and more than 20 additional accidents affected by horse drawn carriages, information she compiled using NYPD data. The idea of a vehicle was hashed out at a Florida conference. Feldman determined that a green vehicle is “humane and that doesn’t use and abuse animals.”
The idea of an all-green carriage is attractive to Cabrera.
“People complain sometimes about the horse’s leftovers or the smell,” said Cabrera. “This vehicle produces none of that and at the same time it has that gravitas that many people want when they are in the delights of New York.”
The organization has drawn support to ban these carriages from many Council Members, Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito and Mayor Bill de Blasio, who’s vowed to eliminate the tourist magnet.
Councilman Cabrera, who supports this initiative, will vote in a few weeks on a bill to ban horse drawn carriages. “I’m going to be a loud voice in favor of the e-carriages and do the humane thing for the horses,” said Cabrera.
Another positive side effect is that this electric carriage can be used to promote the outer boroughs.
“ If you would have these cars that take people and tourists around the Bronx or take people from Midtown to the Bronx and back you’d have tourists get to see all the different and wonderful things that aren’t normally part of a New York City tour,” said Feldman.
And at least they provide the current carriage driver with jobs “by having them simply drive an e-carriage instead of a horse drawn carriage,” said Feldman.
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Welcome to the Norwood News, a bi-weekly community newspaper that primarily serves the northwest Bronx communities of Norwood, Bedford Park, Fordham and University Heights. Through our Breaking Bronx blog, we focus on news and information for those neighborhoods, but aim to cover as much Bronx-related news as possible. Founded in 1988 by Mosholu Preservation Corporation, a not-for-profit affiliate of Montefiore Medical Center, the Norwood News began as a monthly and grew to a bi-weekly in 1994. In September 2003 the paper expanded to cover University Heights and now covers all the neighborhoods of Community District 7. The Norwood News exists to foster communication among citizens and organizations and to be a tool for neighborhood development efforts. The Norwood News runs the Bronx Youth Journalism Heard, a journalism training program for Bronx high school students. As you navigate this website, please let us know if you discover any glitches or if you have any suggestions. We’d love to hear from you. You can send e-mails to norwoodnews@norwoodnews.org or call us anytime (718) 324-4998.
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Bravo to Council Member Cabrera for taking a stand against the inhumane horse carriage industry!!
Great article! Glad that the horseless carriage is touring the outer boroughs! Thank you, Councilman Cabrera.
Can’t wait to see the Horseless eCarriages in my neighborhood! Free the horses!
Sorry, Councilman Cabrera, but the eCar as a substitute for the horse and carriage is a total non-starter. If you’d done your homework, you’d have learned that it can’t be lawfully driven in Central Park, and the Conservancy is committed to fewer cars, not more. Additionally, it won’t even begin to meet the safety requirements of a conveyance for hire, and the horseless carriage as a substitute for a horse carriage is a failed business model in at least two other cities. The prototype cost $450K to build, and there’s no indication there’s a manufacturer ready to build them. And that’s just the beginning of the problems with the eCar – Car and Driver magazine states significant safety concerns.
Councilman Cabrera, are you sure you want to throw your support behind an unsafe, impractical, unwanted substitution for the well loved and cared for NYC carriage horses?
What a very slanted article. this is not journalism! Fact is that unhappy horses don’t work. Those horses are treated very well. To point out some people complain about the feces…? Guess what – many more people actually love seeing the horses. In any event – nothing wrong with classic cars being used for tours. However – they can’t replace horse drawn carriages. They could/would be just another wrinkle in the tourism product – like pedicabs.
The facts are the facts and they are easy to verify, they’re public record. The horses are not all treated well. There have been recent instances of accidents, run away and spooked horses, and a history of horse deaths. Why do we choose to be blind? Simply because of tradition? We have idling car laws because car fumes are dangerous, yet we do not see anything wrong with these animals standing behind cars in traffic breathing in these same fumes? It is time for a change!
The e-car leaves a bigger carbon footpront than a horse does. Nothing is more eco-friendly than true horsepower.
This article is very highly slanted and doesn’t even address the false claims of abuse that are being aimed at the carriage industry. The carriage horses in NY are the most regulated horses anywhere in the world. They have over 100 pages of regulations to follow and inspections by 5 different agencies in order to maintain their work permits and Licensing.
When the world gets hectic and You need a break from the hustle and bustle, a leisurely. Arriage ride in a gently swaying carriage listening to the clip-clop of horse hooves is a very relaxing solution.
The “accidents” that are mentioned are most ALLEGATIONS of accidents, most were deemed unfounded. The “hit and runs,” most of which had no witnesses involved minor damage to mirrors of parked cars. During the same period when these alleged accidents happened, there were more than 360,000 motor vehicle accidents in the city, with many injuries and several deaths. Start showing me convictions for these alleged crimes and maybe I’ll be impressed.
I don’t know what bill Cabrera be voting on since one has yet to be introduced. They haven’t thrown out the legislative process yet have they? The last bill that was drafted would have serious problem passing constitutional muster. Then there’s the matter of the Central Park Conservancy already saying that gigantic cartoony car won’t be allowed in Central Park.
Those who want a ban see abuse where there is none. When presented with actual, science-based evidence that their beliefs are wrong, they resort to name-calling and personal attacks. This is a clear sign that they suffer from cognitive dissonance. They know they are wrong, but they can’t accept that so they twist things around in their minds to make themselves feel better.
Elected officials are supposed to do what’s best for all of their constituents. How does getting rid of the horses help any New Yorkers? I can’t understand why, with so many people struggling financially, a legislator would want to destroy a vital and thriving part of the local economy.
NYCLASS pays $70,000. /year to Allie Feldman, their spokesperson, to advocate these carriages. Follow the money. The Central Park Conservancy will NOT allow the ecarriages in Central Park because they are motorized and so heavy and huge, they are deemed UNSAFE for use inside the Park. Speaking of Safety concerning the accident issue with horses and carriages: read the 2014 FOIL Report that Ms Felman sites,which covers these so called accidents and be sure to read all the way to the bottom of each case. The NYPD has investigated and found many to be UNFOUNDED, meaning they are allegations without proof. (aka Lies)
What a biased article.
The carriage horses are NOT abused, they’re among the most pampered horses that I’ve seen in 35 years as a horseman. Their living and working conditions are closely monitored by several city agencies, including a specialist equine veterinarian.
NYCLASS is nothing more than a front for property developers, who want to get their hands on the land occupied by stables. They bleat “14 hit and runs” without mentioning that these are all merely allegations, and that NYPD found no reason to charge anyone following these reports.
This ludicrous electric charabanc – which weighs 3 1/2 tons – is very unlikely to be permitted by the Conservancy on the carriage drives. Far from being “green” the carbon footprint of theses things is huge when you take into account construction and ultimate disposal. The batteries contain some highly toxic materials, and the electricity to charge them comes from highly polluting coal fired power stations.
Central Park was designed to be seen from a horse drawn carriage or horseback. Long may the carriages stay and every success to the people currently bringing riding horses back to the bridle path!
Why would anyone think they need an alternative to horse drawn carriages? These are some the most well regulated, healthy and happy horses in the world. And I’ve worked with horses all over North America and the Middle East, where they REALLY keep their horses well! Have you been listening to those RARA’s (Radical Animal Rights Activists)? Most of the voices who are against the horse drawn carriages are organized under the behest of real estate magnates who are trying for a land grab in West Midtown while they could be putting their lawyers, lobbyists and money toward helping you guys up in the Bronx. Go pet one of the horses. Ask for a tour of the stables. Then let your heart speak to you.
Don’t the horses have a contraption that catches their feces? a diaper type thing? I am all for going green – those replica cars need oil and gas and spew exhaust. Don’t we have enough exhaust in NYC? The horses are not abused and they can lay down and roll in their stalls. They are so responsive and attentive to the crowds around them – that is not abuse. Ban the cars and keep the horses.
This article only shows one side of the argument. First off the numbers Felman quotes are wrong. These horses have been in operation for over 30 years and in that time there have been minimal accident and only a couple have been serious or fatal. That is a heck of a good run for any transit business or horse business for that matter. Second the artilce makes it seem as if NYers were against horse drawn carraige horses. But according to recent polls most New Yorkers support carriage horses. It is sad that Councilman Fernando Cabrera is about to vote on an issue for which he has done no serious research for. That alone lets me know what kinds of public servant he is, a very poor one.
First of all, there is no bill in the city council to ban horse drawn carriages. Secondly, were one to pass, it would literally condemn thousands of horses to slaughter over the ensuing years for loss of still one more safety net. 142,000 horses were sent to slaughter in Mexico and Canada last year when losing their jobs or homes in the US. Most of the current carriage horses were purchased from New Holland Horse Auction in PA. Others are former working horses from Amish farms or racing trotters. (No carriage horse is under five years of age — most are in their teens.) Horse rescues are overburdened already and cannot take an additional 220 horses cast off into the “unwanted pool.” It is unbelieavable that anyone caring about horses would campaign to “get rid of” them in Central Park — apparently not caring where they and the ones who would follow them end up. As for the hideous cars, no one wants more cars in Central Park — including the Central Park Conservancy. The reporter did not do her homework here.
For those not familiar with New Holland Horse Auction, please watch the video below (its not graphic). This is where many, if not most NYC carriage horses are purchased from. Please consider the fact that most of the carriage horses are thus, rescues from an extremely dire and brutal fate. https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10152791746141870
FREE the horses? I’m sorry that you are clueless. Yes. MORE cars because that’s what New Yorkers need. Not. The whole park was made to give you some nature to balance city life with. Avail yourselves to our friend, the horse. He still has much to teach you.
Mr. Cabrera should listen to the 61% of voters who want the beautiful, humanely treated carriage horses to stay right where they are. Every professional equine organization or vet that has examined them and their stables finds their quality of care on and off the job to be excellent, surpassing the norm. The idea of forcing drivers to change professions and become in effect bus drivers instead of horsemen is troubling and raises legal and ethical questions. Listen to the people, not the real estate profiteers and the animal rights fanatics.
Councilman Cabrerra obviously didn’t get the message that the “14 hit-and-runs and more than 20 additional accidents” were ALLEGATIONS reported to the police, and the vast majority of them were determined “Unfounded” i.e. not enough evidence to proceed. So the reports mean absolutely nothing. Anyone can file a police report about anything, but if there’s no evidence, there’s no crime, and parties are innocent until proven guilty. Shame on Councilman Cabrerra for getting sucked into the lies of the animal “rights” activists, and for condemning an entire industry based on those lies.
Even Car and Driver said that the carriages were safer and a better ride than Chitty Chitty Bang Bang…please do the research yourself before doing this. Talk to horsemen, visit the stable, consider how anyone would force a 1500+ pound animal to do what it doesn’t want to do.
If even a model (Rain Dove) will take the TIME herself to investigate before taking a stand – not relying on what others say- , can a public official afford to do less?
Hey LuAnn, and I quote you here ” During the same period when these alleged accidents happened, there were more than 360,000 motor vehicle accidents in the city, with many injuries and several deaths. Start showing me convictions for these alleged crimes and maybe I’ll be impressed”
Why in the Hell do you and others think that the horse carriages and drivers are safe in a city with this many car accidents? You all are on drugs and for the life of me I cannot figure out how any of you can stand, walk or look at the streets of NYC, any of them and think that a horse and carriage is a safe form of transportation? IT in it’s self is inhuman and cruel to put a horse behind the buses, trucks, cars, garbage trucks, * which scares the horses with their smell and loud noises * not to mention ambulances and other construction> That is the abuse!!! Dah!! Not the mention the amount of confusion and toleration to all of this the horse goes through and the dangers for the horse, the driver and pedestrians and cars is just overwhelming. Tradition, greed, attrition, and being too lazy to find a real job is not excuse for the abuse to the horses. Salt Lake City was wise to ban this industry, Israel is the first country to ban it also. Bravo!! https://www.thedodo.com/nyc-horse-carriage-accidents-788433765.html?xrs=RebelMouse_tw#
i am a bronxite and support CM Cabrera 100%. The carruage thugs and their alias commenting here is not a tree reflection of people’s feelings. There is only one side to animal abuse and it’s wrong. Horses did no wrong to deserve decades of abuse on my streets and then discarded by careiafe industry. Industry has no oversight and blatantly ignored traffic laws and the minimal existing laws protecting horses. They double shift the horses, make them work in suspended weather over 100 hreat index. Horses working in Times Swuare till 3am every day. I don’t care they end this anuse but evs it. Industry should be happy that a replacement is offered. How many of us lost our jobs and no one offered us a replacement. Industry is held by a few individuals that made millions off horsr abuse and cheap labor. It’s not a real Union. They pay no labor taxes nor is there any collective bargaining. Workers have no benefits. It’s a cash business and there is lots of fraud involved besides overcharging tourists involved.
YUCK.
NYCLASS pays creepy Allie $70,000 a year, huh? Just think of how many TRULY needy horses that number could feed.
While NYCLASS and their developer backers do their best to rip these hundreds of beloved, exquisitely cared-for horses from their working partnerships, more than 150,000 horses will die in slaughterhouses, with tens or hundreds of thousands more abandoned or roaming as ferals. We have something like 30,000 horses held in federal “holding facilities”, feedlots, in the American West. There simply is no sanctuary space available for these animals. NYCLASS certainly has no “sanctuary”space. They have celebrities and wealthy vegans dying to make a publicity move. Not enough to take on a truly needy horse, of course–they certainly aren’t asking for homeless horses with health and behavioral concerns. Their “charity” extends exclusively toward the healthiest, most tightly-regulated horses on Earth. How charming of them.
These people are disgusting. Anyone in the world who has ever actually worked with, by, and for horses laughs like a loon when these people start spewing about cruelty. Clearly these petaphiles have never seen what happens to bored horses standing around a pasture, eating themselves sick and developing severe stereotypic behaviors out of boredom.
Leave the NYC horses alone. They are safe, well-fed, warm and cozy, and have both job security and a retirement plan. That’s sure more than we can say for a great number of both horses and human beings in this country.