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.
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.
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.