New York City's Picaresque Horse-Drawn Buggies in Danger

It's the quintessential New York City tourist attraction....all the horse-drawn carriages lined up along the city's Central Park South, ready to give you a ride around Central Park. But animal rights advocates want it stopped -- and soon.

The horse-drawn carriage, a symbol of New York City dating back all the way to the late 1800s, is in danger of being scrapped. It's become a pawn of sorts in the city's political games. Queens Councilman and mayoral hopeful Tony Avella is spearheading the move to get the ponies off the streets. He charges that the carriage drivers chronically mistreat the horses, and he's sponsoring a bill now to ban them.

"We cannot ignore the fact that this is an industry that makes its living on the backs of these animals with no regard to the fundamental inhumane conditions under which they work."

Avella adds that there have been seven documented street accidents involving the horses and carriages in the past 18 months. On Friday the New York City Council chambers were packed with people rallying for and against the horse-drawn carriage bill. The carriage drivers appeared at the hearing too, and they adamantly deny that the horses are being treated poorly. Driver Gareth Smith had this to say.

"I do not work with people who are cruel to animals, nor would I work with people who are cruel to animals. I find it somewhat insulting that people who do not know me would think I would do such a thing."

Edward Callahan is another driver who spoke at the meeting.

"We are a highly visible business on the street all the time, with nothing to hide. We invite everybody to come and see our horses at work, check them out. They're there to be seen all the time,"

Animal rights advocate Michael McGraw from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals says it is cruel to make the horses work on city streets.

"As New Yorkers, we know the city streets are difficult to navigate on foot. Imagine what it's like for a horse while stuck between stiff traces, attached to a carriage filled with people being forced to trudge through congested traffic in all weather extremes for many hours on end, year after year."

Other animal representatives included Elizabeth Forel of the Coalition for New York City Animals.

"This was the equivalent to tying up your grandmother to pull a carriage."

Carriage drivers are worried about losing their jobs. They say closing down the operation will put 400 people out of work. Organizers of the ban suggest that they be retrained to become pedicab drivers. But Demos Demopoulos of Teamsters Local 553 calls that ridiculous.

"I'm a little surprised that they would be retrained as pedicab operators. They're gonna teach these guys to ride tricycles through New York?"

The New York City Department of Health, which regulates the industry, along with the Consumer Affairs Department, is not in favor of the ban on the horse-drawn carriages. Edgar Butts of the Health Department had this to say...

"It is our position that strengthening the current regulatory environment is preferable to an outright ban, therefore we oppose it."

A New York Public Library picture from the 1930s is a reminder that the city was built with horse power, but animal rights advocates say it's time to leave that piece of history in the past. But still another driver, Ian McKeever, questions whether unloading the horses and buggies will be a tremendous loss to the city.

"We're a very iconic business. We're as famous as the Empire State Building and the Plaza Hotel. We hold New York's greatest commodity in the palm of our hands: tourists."

There will be another hearing on the Hansom cabs before a decision will be made.