An official necropsy performed on Charlie, the 15-year-old draft horse that collapsed and died in Midtown in October, showed no direct cause of death. According to the ASPCA, which performed the necropsy at Cornell, Charlie's liver showed signs of scarring, and the agency wrote they "cannot rule out recent toxin exposure, abnormal heartbeat or allergic reaction," but that the horse was in "good nutritional condition," when he died. more ›

Humans aren't the only ones who are pushed beyond their physical and mental limits to feverishly "enjoy" the holidays: it's the busiest time of the year for New York City's carriage horses. Yesterday afternoon a carriage horse apparently collapsed at 59th Street and Fifth Avenue. Though a spokesperson for the Carriage Association of New York told the Daily News, "No horse collapsed," the video below, submitted to Win Animal Rights, clearly shows a horse on the ground and its handlers struggling to help it stand up. more ›

[Updates below] Another carriage horse collapsed in Midtown yesterday around 6 p.m. on West 60th Street near Broadway. A supporter of New Yorkers for Clean, Livable and Safe Streets shot a video clip of the horse on the ground. more ›

The results of a preliminary necropsy on a carriage horse named Charlie who collapsed and died in Midtown last Sunday show, "Charlie was not a healthy horse." According to the ASPCA, who performed the necropsy at Cornell, Charlie's cause of death is still uncertain, but he "was likely suffering from pain due to pronounced chronic ulceration of the stomach and a fractured tooth." Dr. Pamela Corey of the ASPCA says in a release, "We are very concerned that Charlie was forced to work in spite of painful maladies." more ›

On Sunday morning, a carriage horse collapsed and died on West 54th Street between Eighth & Ninth Avenues, and soon after photos of the horse being loaded into an NYPD vehicle were sent to us, though the department repeatedly denied having any information on the incident. Since then, Mayor Bloomberg has released a comment on the incident, which got animal rights activists rightfully riled up, saying, the horses "probably wouldn't be alive if they didn't have a job." Tonight, the Coalition to Ban Horse-Drawn Carriages, tells us they're hosting a Candlelight Vigil for the horse, named Charlie, saying, "he will be sent off with love and a vow that his death will not be in vain." more ›

Tourist Theresa Shaver was taking a carriage horse ride in Central Park on Sunday afternoon when the horse fell to the ground... and she caught it all on video (you're going to want to turn your volume down!): more ›

Glee star Lea Michele is the latest to face to grace PETA's campaign to end carriage horses in NYC. The poster she appears in sports plenty of the tween-friendly hot pink color, and urges: “Help put horse-drawn carriages out to pasture." In bold lettering it declares: "horses don’t belong in NYC traffic.” The ad will be seen on bus kiosks around the city, thanks to a donation from Manhattan Mini-Storage. more ›

We received a tip today from Merry Orling about yet another horse carriage collision, this time with a bus in midtown, that she witnessed this week: more ›

Laura Eldridge, Executive Director of NYC CLASS, says in an accident last week, "a French tourist in Salzburg, Austria was killed by a bolting carriage horse. According to the Austrian Times the 16 year-old horse was startled and galloped over the woman, who was standing on the sidewalk. She died of a head injury on her way to the hospital." This, of course, raises concerns once again over the carriage horse industry still kicking in New York. more ›

Shamrock Stables is closed for business... for now. The ASPCA continues to offer to place their remaining horses in homes; in a press release sent out yesterday, the organization stated: “On June 7, Shamrock Stables in Manhattan officially closes and the fate of the New York City carriage horses remains in the balance. [We] reaffirm our offer and commitment to finding suitable homes for these horses. Our primary concern is their welfare, and we stand ready to work with the City and other organizations that share our purpose to place these horses in environments where they will receive humane treatment.” more ›

The ASPCA issued a statement yesterday afternoon offering to find homes for the carriage horses being evicted from Shamrock Stables, which is being shuttered by the city in order to make way for residential and retail development. In it they said:

“The imminent closing of Shamrock Stables in Manhattan presents an opportunity to New York City, the carriage horse owners and those who favor the humane treatment of animals. The ASPCA, in partnership with NY-CLASS, has made an offer to Shamrock Stables and the City government to find homes for these horses, taking them off the streets and placing them in environments that have their best interests at heart. This option puts the welfare of the horses first and prevents them from being auctioned off to work farms or where the possibility for exploitation and inhumane treatment is high."

Looks like Shamrock Stables days are numbered. The city is reportedly moving ahead with a plan that would shut down the 45th Street carriage horse stable. According to the NY Times, in June the city will start construction on a housing development, a new school, and stores in the area. This will leave 1/4 of the city's carriage horses without a home. more ›

The two carriage horse accidents that happened this month left two horses uninjured. But the ASPCA warns that these were lucky breaks for the equine, and the industry should be banned before a horse, or person, is seriously injured. more ›

The Coalition to Ban Horse-Drawn Carriages (BANHDC) sent us the above photo of a carriage horse accident that took place in Central Park on Tuesday. They tell us this is the 2nd accident in 10 days, and details are scarce. We've been told the ASPCA is investigating, and have contacted them for more details. more ›

Yesterday the City Council passed legislation that will change the carriage horse industry, albeit not make it extinct, as many animal rights activists would like. Under the new bill, horses will be given five weeks off a year to "vacation" outside of the city, NY1 reports. Council speaker Christine Quinn called the move a “huge step forward" for the industry, and Councilwoman Karen Koslowitz spoke of the tourist appeal, saying: "People all over the world come to New York City with plans to take a carriage ride through Central Park. This bill ensures they can continue to do so in an environment that treats both the horses and the drivers fairly." more ›

Kensington Stables owner Walker Blankinship made a big stink about new regulations that would mandate he give his horses 5-weeks of vacation, as well as add bigger stalls and install a sprinkler system in his barn. He threatened to close his business, which offers $37 trail rides through Prospect Park, if he was made to follow the newly proposed rules. Now the Brooklyn Paper reports that the Board of Health has sided with him—they decided against changing the horse-boarding laws, thus allowing Kensington Stables to remain open, as is. more ›

Yesterday the City Council's Consumer Affairs Committee held a hearing regarding carriage horses and how proposed bills may help transform the industry, which is under constant scrutiny by animal rights groups. more ›

Happy Valentine's Day animal rights activists! The city has evicted the historic Shamrock Stables on West 46th Street. According to the NY Post, owner Ian McKeever was handed the eviction notice last week and ordered to appear in court this coming Wednesday. The city hopes to take possession of the building, which houses 26 carriage horses; they are planning a residential and commercial building, as well as a school expansion on that block. McKeever's lease wasn't renewed last November, and he was supposed to vacate in December; he says, "The city is leaving us out in the cold this Valentine's Day, and we hope they have a change of heart. Where is the love?" Currently he has nowhere else to set up shop. more ›

The League of Humane Voters of New York City, who have long been lobbying to ban carriage horses from Central Park, has just suffered a bit of an upset. The animal-rights group has just been handed a $104,290 fine for not filing lobbying reports with the city clerk. more ›

Following his interview with Ecorazzi, Gov. David Paterson's stance on carriage horses has caught the attention of PETA, who gave it a Purr in their "Purrs & Grrs" print column. Paterson says the industry needs to treat the horses better, or the tourist trap should be phased out completely—his spokeswoman explained that the horses often suffer under difficult work and stable conditions... but also acknowledges that they are important to tourism and the "fabric of New York City's culture." more ›

Earlier this month the co-president of NYCLASS, Steve Nislick, joined the ASPCA and a panel of experts to discuss the welfare of horses today. Naturally, the discussion turned to New York's carriage horse industry, which they would like to replace with a fleet of antique electric cars. On the state of the horse's welfare, Nislick said: "They provide them with no protection. If I don't give a horse water for 12 hours, I've done nothing wrong. The minimum requirement in NY State is you have to give a horse water once every 12 hours. Does that make sense to anybody?" They're calling for a three year phase out — and they claim if this change was made, the economic benefit would double. Watch the video of their speech here. more ›

There's much controversy over the future of the city's carriage horse industry — and now Ephemeral NY takes a look back to when there were horse drawn sleighs all over a snowy Central Park. It certainly romanticizes what many believe to be a cruel industry. And check out this December 1898 video showing just how popular those horse-drawn sleighs were! Back in February of 1876, the NY Times reported over 10,000 sleighs passing through the park in one day. more ›

With the new year, new rules will go into effect concerning the city's carriage horses. The rules were proposed by the Health Department yesterday, and according to the NY Post would include many regulations already imposed on taxi drivers. more ›

Recently Governor Paterson did an interview with Eccorazzi... in which he came out in support of a ban on horse-drawn carriages! He told the site: “These animals are kept in stables that are too small, often they’re cold, they work long hours and they don’t have time off. That might sound like we’re talking about human beings, but like you and me, animals need time to rest. These horses are abused and really shouldn’t be trotting around in congested areas.” more ›