Horseless Carriages Sought To Replace Horse-Drawn Buggies

Animal rights activists are once again pushing to eliminate horse-drawn carriages in New York City. This time, they recommend replacing them with nostalgic “green” replicas of antique cars. These classic autos are now made to run on propane and hydrogen and will soon be manufactured to run on electricity. In general, tourist trade horses are well cared for. Their health and well-being should be vigorously overseen by city officials. But for those looking to go “green,” what mode of transportation can better accomplish that than one which occasionally plops down brown?

Horse Carriage Riders May Soon Be Hailing Cabs

Councilman Tony Avella (D-Queens) introduced a proposal to end all horse carriage rides in New York City. He believes they’re inhumane and detrimental to traffic patterns in Midtown. The Horse and Carriage Association objected to Mr. Avella’s claims and goal. They actively support this 100-year old industry citing it’s importance to hundreds of working class families in the industry and the carriage’s great popularity among tourists. Their spokesperson Carolyn Daly maintains that horses are well cared for and that the industry does far more good than harm in the Big Apple.

Horse carriages are undoubtedly one of the lesser causes for city traffic jams. If Mr. Avella so strongly believes that horses are put at risk while in traffic, than he should extend his ban to police mounts too. That of course would be a foolish thing to do. However, Mr. Avella’s position does have some merit. Perhaps it’s time to consider restricting carriage rides to Central Park or to designated zones where horse and driver can better co-exist than they do now.