The death of a Central Park carriage horse last year has led to reforms within the industry, partially in response to calls from animal rights groups demanding that the horse carriage business end.
The industry, represented by TWU Local 100, has taken steps to address the complaints, including the implementation of the Carriage Horse Welfare Initiative. The initiative, in part, was prompted by the death of a carriage horse called Ryder, which collapsed in the middle of a New York street in August 2022 and then died in October.
The initiative has led to the hiring of an expert horse trainer, caretaker and carriage driver to make sure that the horses are being treated well. It also includes the creation of an internal oversight board.
The implementation of the initiative has led to the hiring of Tristan Aldrich, whose decade-long experience includes working at the royal stables at Buckingham Palace in London, to report on the welfare of the horses.
Aldrich is also the head trainer at a horse farm outside New York City.
The veterinarian, Dr. Gabriel Cook, who has been the primary vet for the horse carriage industry since Aug 2022, asked Aldrich to be a horse consultant for TWU Local 100.
Aldrich provides an independent set of eyes to observe the activities and welfare of the horses in Central Park. Once a week, he visits the park, assesses the horses’ physical condition, flags any concerns, and promotes best practices among the drivers.
In a phone interview with amNewYork, Aldrich said he was “impressed” with the owners and drivers in terms of the care they provide the horses. He also said the drivers have been very receptive and open to independent oversight, even asking for advice.
Aldrich has the authority to send a horse back to the stable if he feels it is struggling with heat and humidity, or sees any slight sign of lameness, which he said can happen at any time.
“You know, you are walking down the street, you can twist your ankle, and it hurts, so it’s just one of those things,” Aldrich said.
Regarding the accusations of animal abuse, Aldrich pointed out horses are too “big and powerful” to be forced to do anything against their will.
“If the horse doesn’t want to do it, it’s not going to do it,” Aldrich said.
When Aldrich isn’t in the park, drivers can contact him or Dr. Cook if they have concerns about the welfare of a horse.
“[The drivers] take some video or take some pictures and let us know, and we’ll assess and say, ‘ok, that horse needs to go in,’ or we’re not overly concerned with what we’re seeing,” Aldrich said. “Tele-med, as it were.”
Aldrich’s oversight comes at a time when the industry was also praised by another independent consultant.
Dr. Anthony Blikslager, head of North Carolina State University’s Clinical Sciences Department and an equine surgery professor, conducted an independent assessment of the horses in July and said they were in “excellent body condition” with interest in socializing.
Furthermore, as part of the welfare initiative, the TWU Local 100 formed a 15-member strong safety committee consisting of drivers, shop stewards, TWU Local 100 reps and Dr. Cook. to monitor the industry.
Dedicated committee members
Mario Angelucci, an Italian immigrant, has a passion for horses and became a driver 23 years ago.
He’s a safety committee member and the shop steward for the Livery Stables on West 38th Street.
Angelucci said the new standards exceed the city’s requirements, which requires new drivers to complete an 80-hour horse-drawn cab operators’ course.
The drivers’ union, TWU Local 100, is adding two internal requirements. Instructors, for instance, must have at least five years of experience as a driver. Furthermore, the safety committee must also sign off on the instructor’s experience as well as a new driver’s successful completion of the course.
Angelucci said that both measures exceed the city’s requirements for operating horse-drawn carriages.
“It’s to guarantee the extra security and safety for the industry, especially with new guys,” Angelucci said.
Pete Donohue, director of press and media relations for TWU Local 100, is also a safety committee member. He said the committee provides an internal layer of oversight, self-policing, and an important proactive step forward.
“It provides a structure and a means for us to identify any health issues, promote best practices among the drivers and owners, and just overall work towards providing the best possible care for the horses,” Donohue said.
The industry has fought for the installation of a water trough for the horses lined up on 7th Avenue and its efforts have recently been rewarded.
Until now, only horses lined up on the 5th and 6th Avenue hack lines have had direct access to a water trough, and the DeBlasio disregarded past requests for water access on 7th Avenue.
Drivers said that they are ecstatic that they don’t have to wind their way to the water troughs on 5th and 6th Avenue.
“We are thrilled that the city has worked on this pro-horse goal of ours, which will also benefit the NYPD Mounted Union, and the Parks Department’s mounted unit, and any recreational riders,” Pete Donohue said.
“It’s something we actually needed,” Angelucci said.
Angelucci said that getting rid of the horse carriage industry would have a detrimental financial impact on the mostly immigrant drivers, their families, and the stable workers who care for the horses 24/7.
“It would be another tragic situation, putting them out of a job, out of work. Over 300 people,” Angelucci said. “And most of these people have family, have kids.”
Ahmet Bilici, who has been a carriage driver for 20 years, also serves on the safety committee and thinks the more eyes they have on the horses the better. “It’s a good thing. It helps the horses, [it] helps the drivers, [it] helps the industry,” Bilici said.
Bilici, a Turkish immigrant, said his profession was not a 9 a.m.- 5 p.m. job but a lifestyle choice and that carriage rides are part of New York City’s culture and history.
“Driving a horse carriage is like part of the family,” Bilici said. “Take care of the horses, feed them, train them. To be honest with you, we are spending more time with the horses than with our family.”
Angelucci said that animal rights groups like NYCLASS, which is co-founded by real estate developer Steve Nislick, have their own agenda.
The stables sit on prime real estate, and some horse carriage drivers say NYCLASS came onto the scene once the Westside started changing.
“We’ve been dealing with this organization for over 10 years,” Angelucci said. “They’ve been attacking us because they have their own agenda.”
His sentiment was echoed by many of his colleagues.
Robert, who has spent 30 years as a carriage driver and didn’t want to provide his last name, said he also believes that the real estate industry is behind the push to eliminate the industry.
“They want the location. Business people don’t care about horses. They care about high rise buildings,” Robert said.
But NYCLASS disputes these claims.
“The pathetic lies about “real estate” have been going on for 15 long years and are a deflection from the constant horse abuse and deaths that NYCLASS and New Yorkers regularly expose,” said Edita Birnkrant, Executive Director of NYCLASS, in a statement.
“It is well documented that NYCLASS co-founders Steve Nislick and Wendy Neu are longtime social justice advocates, as well as animal protection advocates and rescuers.”
Robert, who was looking at the horse carriages while on the street, said the industry has a special meaning for drivers: “We like it. This is from our heart, you know? It’s not about the money, so it doesn’t make a difference to us. But for them, it’s about the money because they gotta make money buildings.”
Drivers call the idea of replacing horses with electric carriages “nonsensical.”
“This is like talking about taking the Yankees and bringing in a minor league team from Staten Island, and have them play in Yankee Stadium, and let’s all pretend they’re the Yankees,” Conor McHugh, carriage owner, driver, and manager of the Clinton Park Stables on West 52nd Street, said.
This is the second story of a two-part series about steps TWU Local 100 and the horse carriage industry have taken to further the well-being of NYC carriage horses.