A Sad End For A New York Carriage Horse

(CBS/AP)  Police say one of the horses that pulls carriages around New York's Central Park died Friday after breaking loose and running into a tree.

An assistant director of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals says the horse was startled by a street performer playing a drum. The assistant director, Joseph Pentangelo, says the horse ran nearly a block along the sidewalk on the southern edge of the park before colliding with the tree.

"We are devastated by the tragic and sudden loss of our mare Smoothie," said Carolyn Daly, a spokeswoman for the Horse & Carriage Association of New York. "This afternoon's freak accident was overwhelming to all of us in the industry who so dearly love our horses."

Daly said Smoothie was 13 and had been a carriage horse for only a year.

No people were injured, but witnesses tell the ASPCA that the incident spooked a second horse. That horse ran into the street and the buggy it was pulling crashed into a Mercedez Benz sedan.

A quick thinking patron at a nearby restaurant was able to prevent the second horse from incurring any further damage. Roger Watkins explained his role in the incident to WCBS reporter John Metaxas, "I jumped up from the table, grabbed the horse and to try and calm the horse down, brought him over here and tied him to the pole."

The incident comes amid increased scrutiny of the carriage horse industry in New York. An audit released by the city last week concluded the animals work without enough water, shade or oversight from authorities.

[ruthk35]

It seems alot of animal activist people have forgotten that animals provide many things to people, from leather to lunch. Horses have been bred for hundreds of years to provide transportation for humans. They provide a service that is fuel efficient and byproducts that are biodegradable. Compare this to many of our other transportation methods these days. I say we need to adjust to them like we do a biclyclist or pedestrian. How many have actually seen an abused or neglected carriage horse on the streets? It does not make sense for an owner to abuse their horse because their work/profits suffers. As far as the "nose to tailpipe issue," the carriage horses breath the same air we do walking down the streets, but some people want them removed but think nothing of humans walking down the sidewalk. Most horses I know need exercise and are very happy to work, as they know it, by pulling a carriage, verses having an overweight lazy lawn ornament in a pasture somewhere. I do believe the argument that horse are slaughtered is also a mute point now if you kept up on legislation. As far as the hooves. Most use a type of shoe that protects the hoof to stop the concussion/pounding. Once again, no foot, no horse, no money. I would suggest you talk to a carriage operator and find out facts for yourself prior to judging their living.

[keithle1]

Can''t go along with horses doing this stuff. *** street performers. Most of the time when horses are making money for someone there is negligence or cruelty involved. If they could run them 24 hours
a day, they would.

[mo005]

Horses don''t belong in a city, stuck around all those cars and things to scare them. Thank goodness dogs aren;t big enough. Some fool would be draged around by them too.

[Ed0719]

It is time the horses are taken out of the cities. There is no rational reason for them being in a place like NYC, or any other large city where they are being tortured to provide buggy rides for fat tourists. Isn''t it time cities passed laws making this anachronistic insult to everything humane gone?