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With NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio failing to deliver on his campaign promise to ban horse-drawn carriages from the streets midtown Manhattan, animal advocates with Empty the Carriages have resumed the grass-roots effort to compel tourists to boycott carriage rides. Along Central Park South where tourists board the carriages, tensions are running higher than ever between the advocates and the drivers.

With many tourists opting out of carriage rides, the drivers have filed a lawsuit against the advocates in an effort to curb their impact. Among their demands is a 15 foot buffer zone that would prevent advocates from being able to interact with tourists contemplating a carriage ride.

A NYC horse-drawn carriage driver tears up an activist’s poster

For decades, animal advocates and other concerned NYers have campaigned, in the streets and at City Hall, to ban horse-drawn carriages on the grounds that the industry is inhumane and unsafe. When, in 2013, Mayoral candidate Bill de Blasio included a horse-drawn carriage ban in his campaign platform, the industry fought back with the help of the pro-carriage media, elected officials and actor Liam Neeson.

This 2006 accident in which a horse named Spotty died sparked the movement to ban horse-drawn carriages from Manhattan

Instead of working to fulfill his promise by building a case for a ban with lawmakers, the media and the public, the Mayor abandoned the very issue that helped catapult him to his Mayoral victory.

In response to the collapse of a carriage horse in NYC, at least two hundred activists staged a protest at the home of Mayor Bill de Blasio to demand that he fulfill his 2013 campaign pledge to “end carriage rides” in NYC. The protest marks the re-birth of the movement to ban horse-drawn carriages from the congested streets of midtown Manhattan.

Following the protest at Gracie Mansion, which is located in uptown Manhattan, many of the activists traveled downtown to confront the Mayor as he exited an event at Cooper Union College.

The collapse of a carriage horse triggered about 200 activists to protest failure of NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio to fulfill his campaign promise to ban horse-drawn carriages

In the months leading up to the 2013 Mayoral election in NYC, Bill de Blasio publicly vowed on several occasions to outlaw NYC’s horse-drawn carriage trade. After de Blasio declared that animal rights would “move into the mainstream” if he was elected, the community took to the streets to help him get elected.

The campaign to ban horse-drawn carriages from NYC was launched in 2006, but the animal rights community has been unable to free the horses because of opposition from the media, labor unions and NYC lawmakers. In addition, Bill de Blasio, who was the horses’ most powerful potential ally, has failed to effectively exert his power as Mayor to achieve a ban.  By the time he introduced a compromise bill that would contain the horses within Central Park, the majority of NYC lawmakers had already decided to take the politically expedient route, which was to reject any changes to the carriage trade.

Activists say that horse-drawn carriages cannot be operated humanely or safely in NYC.

In spite of repeatedly promising to “end carriage rides” in the streets of New York City upon taking office, Mayor Bill de Blasio has failed to take action almost two years into his term. On two occasions during the past week, dozens of activists who campaigned and voted for him took to the streets to demand that the he fulfill his campaign pledge.

Activists groups in NYC stage two protests demanding the Mayor de Blasio fulfill his promise to ban horse-drawn carriages

Jane UnChained filed this report from a protest staged during a fundraiser for the Mayor’s 2017 re-election campaign. Several mainstream media outlets also reported on this protest.

TheirTurn.net documented a second protest which coincided with the four year anniversary of the death of Charlie, a carriage horse who collapsed and died on the street.

The Mayor’s bill to ban horse-drawn carriages is stalled in the City Council. Council members have indicated that they have not taken a position on the bill because they see no reason to alienate one side or the other if the Mayor himself isn’t backing the bill by lobbying them or working to generate public support.

Activists in NYC stage protest to demand that Mayor Bill de Blasio fulfills his promise to ban horse-drawn carriages

In spite of his many public promises to lead the effort to ban horse-drawn carriages, the Mayor has shifted the responsibility for the bill from himself to the advocacy groups and City Council. During a radio interview on August 19th, he said, “What I’d say to every advocate: You already have my vote. Go get the votes in the City Council and solidify the support in the City Council so we can make this change.”

As Mayor de Blasio walks away his campaign pledge to ban horse-drawn carriages, activists, many of whom have been working since 2006 to take the horses off the streets, have pledged to hold him accountable until he fulfills his promise.

If you live in NYC, please contact your Council Member to register your support for the bill to ban horse-drawn carriages.

The Mayor of San Juan, Puerto Rico has signed an executive order banning horse-drawn carriages, effective April 20th. The ban comes four days after a horse collapsed on the street. In a statement, Mayor Carmen Yulin Cruz Soto said she made the decision based on “exploitation” and the “mistreatment to which they are exposed every day.”

A spooked horse who bolted and crashed into a jeep in San Juan, Puerto Rico, in 2012

The Mayor of New York City, Bill de Blasio, has also pledged to ban horse-drawn carriages. In December, 2014, he introduced a bill that would phase out the carriages over a three year period. In mid-April, he reaffirmed his commitment, telling a reporter that he believes horse-drawn carriages in the streets of Manhattan are “inhumane” and “archaic.” Earlier in 2015, he elaborated on his position on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.

The NYC Council is expected to vote on the Mayor’s bill this summer, after the city completes a mandatory and routine Environmental Assessment study.

Spooked horse collides with motor vehicle in midtown Manhattan (photo: Catherine Nance)

To see how you can support the ongoing effort to ban horse-drawn carriages in NYC, please visit NYCLASS and The Coalition to Ban Horse-Drawn Carriages.

NYC law prohibits horse-drawn carriage drivers from working their horses in snow, ice, heavy rain or other slippery conditions. But that didn’t stop them from working a horse at a St. Patrick’s Day Parade during a snowstorm.

Horse-drawn carriage drivers break the law by working during a snowstorm

TheirTurn told several police officers who lined the parade route that the carriages drivers were breaking the law, but none of them took action.

NYPD officers watch from the sidelines as horse-drawn carriage drivers break the law

The presence of two marching bands also didn’t keep the carriage operators away, even though the city’s horse-drawn carriage operator’s manual includes marching bands on the list of stimuli that spook horses.

Marching bands and horses don’t mix well because drums can spook them

List of stimuli that spook horses in NYC Dept. of Health’s horse-drawn carriage training manual

In fact, it was a drum that spooked a NYC carriage horse named Smoothie, who bolted down 59th street, crashed into a tree and died in front of dozens of onlookers.

Smoothie crashed into a tree and died after being spooked by a drum in Midtown Manhattan

The carriage operators were very much aware of the risk, which explains why they held the reins.

Carriage drivers hold the reins to prevent horse from bolting if drums spook him

As carriage operators illegally worked a horse in a parade in Queens, several others were breaking the law on the snowy streets of Manhattan.

Carriage drivers work during snowstorm in defiance of the law (photo: Bronx resident)

Animal rights activists with NYCLASS, PETA and Long Island Orchestrating for Nature (LION) also participated in the parade, bringing animal costumes instead of a living animal.

Council Member Danny Dromm (center) is lead sponsor on bill to ban horse-drawn carriages

The carriage drivers thanked the village of Sunnyside, Queens, by leaving behind a pile of horse manure on main street. Not to worry, NYC tax dollars will pay for the clean up.

New Yorkers are fined if they don’t pick up after their dogs, but carriage drivers get a free pass

1. If you live in NYC, please ask your City Council Member to support the bill to ban horse-drawn carriages (Intro 573). If you live elsewhere, please sign their petition.

2. To learn more about the issue and keep apprised of news, subscribe to the weekly newsletter of the Coalition to Ban Horse-Drawn Carriages.

3. Watch the award-winning documentary film BLINDERS to see why people have been fighting for years to take the horses out of NYC: