On Saturday, October 3, horse carriages will return to Central Park after being away for six months due to the pandemic, reports NY Daily News. Most horses were spending their vacation at out of state farms. Only twelve will initially arrive to ensure social distancing, and the carriages will be sanitized before and after every ride.
Drivers will also be offering free rides to first responders and health care workers.
Veteran horse carriage operator Colm McKeever told the publication that “The lights are going to come back on in New York City, and we are going to be a part of it”, further stating that “This is a great moment of hope. There’s a symbolism to seeing a horse-drawn carriage going down the street.”
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Both carriage drivers and fans of the New York tradition have been rejoicing. NY Daily News states that a “dry run” on Thursday drew crowds of people asking for rides before the weekend.
??Carriage drivers brought horses back to Midtown – this pic shows a carriage driver yesterday with NO mask on, near a woman with no mask by the horse. In March carriage drivers handed out filthy, shared blankets to passengers & now they are back acting recklessly. @NYCMayor pic.twitter.com/89qRe4ii7D
— NYCLASS (@nyclass) October 2, 2020
On top of everything else bad about this idea, the issue of extreme animal cruelty tops the list!!
When is this abomination going to permanently end?
I detest this abhorrent abusive practice. The horses deserve to stay at their upstate farms; This tradition has got to be stopped before more innocent animals get hurt and people get Covid from these mask-less drivers.
Great news and happy to see the return of this iconic NYC attraction. A great way to socially distant outside in the nice fall weather. Welcome back! DeBlasio destroyed so much, but couldn’t stop this.
I was so sad to see the horses are back. This is such a stupid tradition. Pure animal cruelty!
Looking forward to having the park smell like shit again
I just saw this piece. So superficial. So ignorant. So the horses returned – Yay for the people. Did you have the knowledge or understanding to ask how many horses went to auction because the owners were not interested in paying for their care while they were shut down. Auction almost always equals going to eventual slaughter. There are approximately 170-180 horses. I cannot believe for a minute that the horses were kept on – board is expensive and they are simply tools to make money – not “pets.” The business is not a sanctuary – anything but. Why should this be celebrated.
This “industry” has been opposed by many for many, many years. But the owners are in tight with the unions and powers that be. And that includes our dishonest Mayor deBlasio who promised to end the trade when he got to office but got cold feet when the unions came out against it. Yes Power to the people. Forgot suffering animals.
This is not a tourist attraction. It is a torture attraction and does not suit one of hte greatest cities in the world (or so we thought)
Why should they continue working during the Pandemic. Restaurants have been forced to close; all other tourist attractions are closed. Manhattan has the lowest rate of Covid in all of New York State – why invite “tourists” to come here and bring the virus. Does not make sense. The recent accident in Central Park on Dec. 20th showed the handlers without masks.
It simply makes no sense.