Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Carriage horse accident in Midtown sparks another animal rights skirmish
By
Brittany Kriegstein
Published Oct 12, 2023
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
Getty Images
By
Brittany Kriegstein
Published Oct 12, 2023
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
A carriage horse turned heads in Midtown on Tuesday night when he broke loose from his handlers, ran down the street and crashed into a parked car — and the incident is reigniting debate over whether equines should be allowed to work in New York City.
Dino, a bay Dutch Harness Horse, was being unhitched from his rig at the stables on West 38th Street and 11th Avenue around 6 p.m. when something spooked him, according to fellow carriage horse driver and industry spokesperson Christina Hansen.
Dino, who was still partially hooked to the carriage, ran down the street, stopping when his carriage hit a parked car and flipped over. He stayed on his feet, according to Hansen, was unhitched, and taken back to the stables unharmed.
“This was a minor fender-bender,” Hansen told Gothamist by phone on Thursday. “He's fine, but he's not working. Taking a break to make sure that he's OK and everything.”
But NYCLASS, an influential animal rights group, pointed to the incident as another example of alleged abuse in its ongoing quest to end the city's practice of horse-drawn carriage rides.
In a statement, the group’s Executive Director Edita Birnkrant urged the City Council to stop the “madness that puts New Yorkers, tourists, and the horses and carriage drivers at risk every day.”
The incident caught the attention of neighbor Joanna Villani, who said she was traumatized by Dino’s chaotic gallop while walking her dog.
“It seemed frantic, it seemed distressed. And I just froze, stood still with my dog, and it just galloped past us. I was screaming, ‘Oh my God, oh my God, it's gonna go into 11th Avenue,” she recounted through tears. “I was petrified for my safety, for the horse's safety, for anybody else.”
Villani said she saw Dino fall down with the carriage when it collided with a parked car, though Hansen said the stableman who ran after Dino insisted the horse stayed upright the whole time.
“I really thought the horse was dead,” Villani said. “Clearly there's multiple reasons why this is not OK, and this really needs to come to an end with these horse and carriage rides.”
Dino belongs to the owner of the West Side Livery stables, and has been working in New York City for a few months, according to Hansen. He originally hails from Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, where many of the city’s carriage horses come from after careers on Amish farms.
Hansen said horses in New York City have it a lot better than some of their rural counterparts used for farm work or competitions.
“Our horses have regulations that really no other horses have in terms of the weather that they can work in, the number of hours they can work, when they have to wear a blanket,” she said. “These are also protections that people's pet horses and show horses don't have.”
NYCLASS disagrees, and is urging the City Council to pass Ryder’s Law: a bill that would ban carriage rides, named after a sick carriage horse who collapsed on a Manhattan street last year.
“NYCLASS was founded, and is funded, by real estate developers,” said Pete Donohue, spokesperson for Transport Workers Union Local 100 which represents the carriage horse drivers. “Real estate developers would love to get their hands on the privately owned horse stables located in the shadows of Hudson Yards. So, they spew lies and exaggerate.”
The carriage horse industry in New York City has been a major flashpoint since Bill de Blasio made banning the practice a focal point of his tenure as mayor.
Regardless of the current debate, horses have worked on New York City streets for centuries.
“People who move into the neighborhood from someplace else are surprised to see horses there, even though, of course, horses have been living in Manhattan for almost 400 years,” Hansen said, adding that their current Midtown stable has been around since 1900.
“So it's like, they're the newcomers. Our horses have been here a long time, she added.
Tagged
horse carriages
animal rights
manhattan
Politics
transportation
Brittany Kriegstein
Brittany Kriegstein covers all breaking news around New York City, with a focus on crime and gun violence. Got a tip? Email Brittany at [email protected].
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Parents grumble as NYC schools chancellor dodges calls for NYC schools integration plan
Journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones said she felt disappointed by the lack of details.
By
Jessica Gould
Published Oct 20, 2026 at 10:01 p.m. ET
Driver found with apparent gunshot wound on George Washington Bridge, officials say
The westbound upper level was closed Tuesday night as Port Authority police investigated the incident.
By
Charles Lane
News
Driver found with apparent gunshot wound on George Washington Bridge, officials say
The westbound upper level was closed Tuesday night as Port Authority police investigated the incident.
By
Charles Lane
16 arrested in New York auto insurance fraud crackdown involving nearly $500K
By
Giulia Heyward
Coney Island's small, 1890s lighthouse may be landmarked by the city
By
Catalina Gonella
New renderings are out for Queens' Metropolitan Park casino
By
Willow Higgins
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .