Reports of yet another carriage horse being injured on a New York City Street.  On November 3rd, a New York City bus hit a horse during rush hour. The carriage horse was grazed by the bus on 7th Avenue, at around 54th street, at 5:30 p.m. A witness says the horse “was spooked and evidently frightened out of his/her wits.”   What business does a horse have being in the middle of Manhattan rush hour? legally, none.  Elizabeth Forel of the Coalition to Ban Horse-Drawn Carriages says the law is very clear on this: horse-drawn carriages are not allowed between 57th St. and 42nd St., and between 7th and 9th avenues before 11:30 p.m., regardless of whether or not they have a passenger.

It’s time to end this archaic practice that hides behind being somehow “nostalgic” or “quaint”.  We no longer allow dog fights, and NFL quarterback Michael Vick is regularly booed for having sponsored the practice.  But somehow it’s okay for horses to be forced to walk around behind buses during rush hour.  The bus driver, who was at least on a street where he was supposed to be driving, was suspended for not reporting the accident. The carriage driver, on the other hand, has ridden off into the sunset. None of the relevant agencies appear to be looking into the incident, and some of them don’t even seem to know that it happened. How long before some horrific accident takes place that costs some poor New Yorker more than just a suspension.