PATCH ASKS: Ban Horse Carriages?

Some think them romantic. Some view them as fun and kitsch. State Sen. Tony Avella and the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals believe that the horse drawn carriage businesses operating in Midtown are cruel.

The Bayside Times reported this week that there have been seven incidences with these horses in 2011 that were investigated by the ASPCA. A horse recently fell while pulling four passengers.

“This issue is clearly coming to a head just because of a number of accidents reported lately,” the senator told Bayside Times. “The industry is trying to be on its best behavior and it’s still happening.”

The report also revealed that Avella may be coming to a head with one of his own consituents, in putting forth legislation to ban the carriage rides. The Vice President of the Horse and Carriage Association of NY, Eva Hughes, lives in Bayside, and says half a dozen drivers and owners live in Bayside too.

“Sen. Avella has been made aware of our stellar safety record. He can say it’s dangerous all he wants all day long. The fact is, statistically, our industry is the safest equine pursuit,” she told the paper. “With only three deaths in 30 years, it’s not a good record; it’s an extraordinary record.”

“It is being proven over and over, year after year that mixing these horses with busy city traffic is a recipe for disaster," Avella has said. "The only humane thing to do for sake of these animals is to shut down the industry and retire the horses.”

Would you like to see an end to the horsedrawn carriage industry in New York?