Hundreds of horse-carriage drivers and transit workers rallied outside a Manhattan NYC Council member’s office on Tuesday to protect a travel and tourism industry that provides work for hundreds of workers.
Members of Transport Workers Union (TWU) Local 100, the union that represents horse-carriage workers, protested outside NYC Council Member Erik Bottcher’s office on the West Side to demand he and other politicians stop their campaign to end the horse-drawn carriage industry in NYC.
“It’s a disgrace that Erik Bottcher sides with the elite,” TWU Local 100 president John Chiarello said, as he encouraged politicians to visit the horse stables to see how the animals are cared for. “We don’t back down because the horse-carriage industry has been around since 1884.”
The union head said the horses are well taken care of and enjoy working. He recommended building a stable in the park.
“The horses will have a nice place to stay and go through the park and not have to worry about traffic,” he said.
The workers at the rally said they love and treasure their equine friends. Ahmet Bilici, a horse-carriage driver, said his horse is part of his family.
“We love our horses. My kids love them,” the driver, who grew up on a farm in Turkey, said. “For many people, their first time connecting with a horse is in Central Park. Kids feed them apples and carrots.”
Horses get a “five-week vacation” and other perks in the horse-carriage industry
Christina Hansen, a shop steward at the union, explained that the horses are well cared for with vet visits at least twice a year, a five-week vacation, every other day off, and other benefits that would make some human workers jealous.
“Erik Bottcher wouldn’t even come to the stable to offer his condolences when we lost one of our horses,” she said. “We make the park beautiful, we’re a part of the second largest industry in NYC, which is tourism and hospitality.”
Last week, the Central Park Conservancy called on city officials to end the horse carriage industry in the park, marking the first time the nonprofit stewards of the park got involved in the ongoing conflict.
“This is about the rich folks, the millionaires, the billionaires, picking on the working class people,” Hansen said. We’re here to support our horses, and our families and keep this city great.”
“This is bullying”
Edita Birnkrant of NYCLASS counter-protested the Aug. 19 rally with a megaphone and signs with messages aimed at ending the industry.
“This is the kind of bullying that we’ve seen for years,” she said while standing next to the ralliers. “They bully the horses, they neglect and abuse the horses.”
The rally was the latest development in the ongoing fight between transit workers and animal rights activists with support from elected officials. Although the fight to end horse-drawn carriages has been a years-long battle in the Big Apple, it was recently reignited after carriage horse, Lady, fell and died in Hell’s Kitchen as a result of an aortic rupture on Aug. 5.
Lady’s death came just weeks after a jury found veteran carriage driver Ian McKeever not guilty of animal abuse after he was charged in 2023 for abusing a horse, named Ryder, to the point of collapse while he suffered health issues.
After Ryder’s death in 2022, he was retired to a barn upstate but died of cancer later that year.
Meanwhile, Bottcher sent a statement to amNewYork saying he has a responsibility to “speak up” about the issue.
“Forcing animals to pull tourist carriages nose-to-tailpipe in Midtown traffic, surrounded by blaring horns and choking exhaust, is not right,” he said. “A majority of my constituents and a growing coalition of New Yorkers agree. I know some may disagree, and I remain ready to engage in dialogue to find a path forward. But New York City is constantly evolving, and our traditions should reflect not only our past, but also our values today.”
