Facts about NYC’s Horse-Drawn Carriage Industry

  • There are (5) major stables that are involved in the horse carriage industry.  They are all on the far west side of Manhattan from 37th St. to 52nd St around 11th and 12th Avenue.
    • 1.    Bryne Stable - 547 West 37 Street
    • 2.    Westside Livery - 538 West 38 Street
    • 3.    Shamrock Stable - 522 West 45 Street
    • 4.    Chateau Farms -  608 West 48 Street
    • 5.    Clinton Park - 618 West 52 Street
  • To get to work, horse carriages generally travel up 10th Avenue to the Central Park area, which begins at 59th St.,  and return to the stables by 9th Avenue.  There are two hospitals in this area – St. Vincent’s Midtown and Roosevelt Hospital.  The entrance to the Lincoln Tunnel is at 37-38th St.; there are several entrances to the West Side Highway in this area. 
  • There are no restrictions as to when horse carriages can travel to and from the park.  Unlike Local Law 89, which expired in 1993, carriages may travel during rush hour. 
  • There are 68 carriage horse medallions or licenses  -- one per cab.
  • There are over 200 horses – according to an October 2005  list from the Department of Health. 
  • There are approximately 350 carriage drivers in the industry – according to the NY Post – January 2006  
  • In 1982 there were 141 carriage drivers.  In 1993, there were 296 … Peggy Parker testimony before City Council committee – 11/29/93
  • Most of the stables house horses on different levels, accessed by steep ramps.
  • Most of the stables do not have adequate fire protection and are not required to have sprinkler systems.
  • Most of the stables have stalls too small for a horse to turn around comfortably or to lie down.
  • The average working life for a NYC carriage horse is 4 years – compared to 14-15 years for a NYC police horse – according to research by the Carriage Horse Action Committee.
  • According to current legislation - Horses may not be worked when the temperature is 90 degrees or more, nor when it is 18 or below.  There is no consideration for humidity index or wind chill factor.
  • The law requires the ASPCA Humane Law Enforcement Officers to order the drivers to return to their stables when the above temperatures are reached.  The drivers do not have to return on their own volition since it is the ASPCA officers who have access to the thermometer.
  • “Manhattan asphalt [street] temperatures reach  - well over 200 degrees – hot enough to melt asphalt.”  NYTimes 7/29/89 – quote by then Commissioner of Department of Transportation.
  • When the sum of ambient temperature (Fahrenheit) and relative humidity exceeds 150 (especially if humidity contributes more than half the sum) the evaporative cooling mechanism by sweating is severely compromised.  (published in Equine Exercise Physiology  - 9/22/82
  • According to current legislation  - Each horse can work up to nine hours in any 24 hour period.  A horse can be worked every day according to the law. 
  • Horses are kept standing for extended periods of time on hot asphalt without shade.  There is no shade on Central Park South on the hack line.  Boredom is just one of the feelings these horses experience.

Horses Without Carriages International is a sister committee of the Coalition to Ban Horse-Drawn Carriages, which is part of The Coalition for NYC Animals, Inc. a 501-c-4 not-for-profit. Fair Use Notice: This website may contain copyrighted material whose use has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owners. We believe that this not-for-profit, educational use on the Web constitutes a fair use of the copyrighted material (as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law). If you wish to use this copyrighted material for purposes of your own that go beyond fair use, you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.

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