Anthony DelMundo/New York Daily News Horse and Carriage Association spokesperson Stephen Malone says lawsuits will be filed if City Council approves the proposal to ban the carriage industry.ALBANY — Mayor de Blasio’s battle to ban New York City carriage horses may ultimately be fought in the courts.
Carriage horse drivers say they are prepared to file lawsuits to block de Blasio and the city from implementing the proposed ban — if it ever gets approved by the City Council. “That will be down the line, definitely,” said driver Stephen Malone, a leader of the Horse and Carriage Association. “We are not just going to roll over.”
At least one legal expert believes the drivers would have a good chance of winning in court.
“It is very difficult for the government to justify putting a complete industry out of business,” said Clint Bolick of the conservative Goldwater Institute.
De Blasio’s proposal may also be challenged in the statehouse.
Assemblyman Gary Pretlow (D-Westchester) said he will reintroduce legislation next month that would prevent the city from reducing the number of horse-drawn carriage licenses it issues.
The bill stalled in the Assembly after it was first introduced in April.
Categories: Horse Health, Horse News
Straight from the Horse's Heart 
I have been following this issue now for several years, am a horse owner, and see the carriage horse bussiness as totally cruel and abusive. Horses are suffering greatly, in fact dying in the street.
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Stop all the horrid abuse and deaths of horses with the horse carriage business. It all must be ban all over the country not only New York. Horses deserve much better, they helped build this country.
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http://theirturn.net
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i hope they win .. i have been to 4 of the stables in NYC, the last time was late July 2013. the Carriage Horse industry is more heavily regulated then the cab industry is. The horses can not work in extreme weather conditions, they can not work more than 8 hrs a day and not more than 5 days a week, they get 5 weeks of vacation a year. While there are 200+ carriage horses only 68 from all stables combined can be out at any given time so they are not working 5 straight days a week. They are only allowed to walk, the area they work in is restricted to 5th Ave, Park Ave and Central Park where speed limits are 20 mph or less and traffic is limited. In winter when they are curbside, standing at liberty, while waiting for fares, the drivers do blanket them. The carriages are made out of fiberglass and are light enough that even 1 person can pull or move them. Most of the horses have rubber pads under their shoes for shock absorption. The stables i visited were clean with rubber matted 12×12 box stalls with either fresh straw or shavings, auto waterers or water buckets that were clean, the horses in the stables, not working, all had good quality free choice hay. windows were on all 4 sides of the building and wide open, well screened with fans in each window which offered a good cross ventilation so it was not too hot or warm even on the upper floors. the horses i saw were bright eyed, well cared for, appeared happy and were friendly. each stall had complete vet and farrier records attached to each horses door. the aisle ways were also clean.
Now while all the stables do offer tours to the public, I actually visited when there was no scheduled tours. The stalls are cleaned 6 times a day, each stable has a fire sprinkler system in place and at least 2 people are there on duty 24/7 to keep an eye on things. Each stable has a wash stall and a huge feed room. Most of the horses are owned by the drivers themselves with the exception of a few horses were the owner owns more than 1 horse and in that case he hires a driver for the additional horse and carriage. the city does inspections of both horses and the building several times a year. with all 4 stables i was surprised to learn that the owner/drivers all own a share of the stable building themselves.
All in All what i saw were horses and stables in better condition than most show barns and show horses i have seen. i would highly recommend anyone going and seeing the horses and their stables first hand before believing all the hype “on the internet”
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Good to hear from someone who has actually BEEN there in the stables & can say with no bias that these horses are cared for – and their welfare is important to their owners and the city inspectors. (and someone who has knowledge & experience with horses)
This whole NYCLASS mess seemed to be made up of people who wanted to put up yet another parking lot & who fired up many other people by making them believe the horses were not being taken care of. I hope the drivers/owners win, too.
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Well, that answered my concerns. But how are these accidents happening? I hate to see the loss of life or injury and I know how stupid some people are when they get behind the wheel of a car. At any rate, I’m relieved top know that things are good for the horses at home.
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You have been to only 4 stables, not all of them, and most likely it was an expected visit. We have heard otherwise from other people who have visited stables. And what about the horrific accidents with injuries to the horses?
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The Carriage rides can be fixed, and would make everyone happy but no the greed has reared its ugly head again, whenever the welfare of the horses is at stake they always get the short end…………….
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Not in NY but here’s an in-depth article on working Equids in Africa
http://www.thehorse.com/features/34557/beasts-of-burden-africas-working-horses-and-donkeys?utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=lameness&utm_campaign=12-03-2014
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http://www.onegreenplanet.org/news/what-happens-to-nyc-carriage-horses-when-theyre-retired/
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Let the people make the vote with their wallets. They have a right to comers. Am I a fan of horses having to suck in car exhaust and walk down long hard lengths of asphalt and have no where to really be a horse, no!
But there are horses in FAR worse situations.
I say the vote lays to the people. There is clearly a demand for carriage rides, or they wouldn’t be in business.
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I sure hope the city council does not pass this. Despite the seemingly ‘benevolent’ reasoning, corporate greed is behind this move to destroy the livelihood of horse and man. The founder of NYClass, Steve Nislick, is a parking garage magnate who has cleverly manipulated this cause so he can get his hands on the land where the stables are located! A perfect location for a new garage! A space reserved for the horses would be a much better option. Actually a ban on vehicular traffic and an increase in horse drawn carriages might make a dent in air pollution.
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http://newsnyork.com/common-ground-on-carriage-horses
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Dear geri , loved this article i am in full agreement with it been saying that since onset !!!!!!!
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