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Carmelo Vargas, the hansom cab driver injured when his horse crashed into a station wagon at Ninth Avenue and 50th Street, is in a coma. Vargas had only been riding horse-drawn carriages around the city since May, lured by the prospect of making more money for his family. His stepson told the Daily News, "He had a problem with this horse. He rode a lot of the horses, but this one scared him." The NY Times, though, has pinto horse experts speculating the horse was probably bothered by a noise, as pintos are usually "docile."
The horse, which had a broken leg, was put down yesterday. The station wagon's passengers were in stable condition; the station wagon also had an expired inspection sticker. And animal rights activists are saying this is exactly why horses should only be allowed in Central Park and banned from streets.
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I've been riding and owning horses my entire life- I've never heard of a "pinto expert". The term "pinto" is a reference to the horse's coloration and not to it's breeding. A pinto horse is either brown or black with large white splotches- this is also sometimes refered to as a "Paint horse". This coloration is accepted by several breed associations and can apply to any number of horse breeds from Shetland ponies to Mustangs to large Draft breeds and is most commonly seen in horses of mixed blood. While there is an association to register a horse as a Paint, there is no specific qualifications except for the color pattern.
Horses and cars don't mix, bottom line. Keep the horses off the streets.
Anything can freak a horse: a motorcycle backfiring, a baby's shriek, a slammed trash can...You try looking out at the world from two directions with a big nose to separate those perceptions and then tell me if sudden movements wouldn't freak you out. What happened Monday night to that carriage horse (and his critically injured driver) is so tremendously sad that it has had bummed me out all day. Any horse that lives in this city instead of the country lives at our behest and for our pleasure and service. I am not sure that I will look at all those "picturesque" riders around Central Park ever the same way again.
Poor horse..off to the glue factory.
Correction: Crematorium, you loser.
Read the article in the Daily News.
If I lived my entire life worrying about every mammal on earth that wasn't having a pleasant life, I would be a hopelessly unhappy person. If you think walking the streets of Manhattan is overly cruel; does that mean you're a vegetarian too? If not, then you're just a blind hypocrite.
Most of those carriage horses do look as though they're one step away from the glue factory. They look so broken down.
Keep the horse carriages in Central Park and away from the traffic of the city streets. Anyway, what's so romantic about a carriage ride in the traffic with the horns honking and the cars whizzing around?
I am surprised that so many seem to think that keeping the carriages in Central Park is the solution. How does everyone think the horses and carriages *get* to Central Park? Follow a horse and carriage back to its stable - around the 40s/50s and 9th Ave. The really ugly part of that area. They do *not* end their workdays by walking to Claremont Stables.
The problem is the city pace.
No one will wait for a hansom cab to cross the intersection and will then honk, speed up etc.
I live in hell's kitchen and see them everyday.
Almost saw a cab T bone a slow moving horsey in the intersection.
But then, those horses ain't ready for the triple crown, I saw a driver "heee Aaaaah" and whip his horse to catch a light, NO change in speed from his trot seen. Guess the gas pedal was broken on that one. That's when it almost got hit by a cab.
The horse is still worth money though, just pick up a pennysaver upstate and you'll see old horses going for a few grand. Guess that's why they work them till death.
Yeah Mario, why should I concern myself about the treatment of an animal when I have to pick up my Rolex from the jewelers and make sure my cuticles are properly trimmed before dinner at Babbo. Go back to thinking about yourself, you tool.
Having the horses live and work only in Central Park would eliminate their interactions with traffic, but not prevent accidents. I have a carriage horse that I drive in Columbia County (upstate), and my trainer has been driving for 30 years. Even the calmest, best trained horse can still spook, bolt, run people down or crash into trees when frightened. A carriage driver has much less control over the horse than a rider does, and the carriage itself becomes a life-threatening object when out of control (they typically weigh 400-600 pounds). Confining the horses to the park only (including stabling them in the park) would be an improvement, but would not eliminate the risk of tragic accidents. The carriage rides are a frivolous entertainment for tourists, not a necessity of city life.
So let me get this straight, because I enjoy the occasional burger and chicken cobb salad I'm morally hogtied from feeling bad about this poor horse? Or is feeling bad about things the problem? I'm afraid you're already hopeless. Your absolutism is only exceeded by your arrogance.