Central Park Carriage Drivers Say the Rides Are Safe. The Conservancy Counts Seven Incidents in 13 Months.
The city is moving this week to outlaw horse-drawn carriages over animal and public-safety concerns. Several Central Park carriage drivers who spoke to the BBC said they were devoted to their horses and that the rides did not pose a safety risk. Medet Fidan, a carriage driver for 12 years, called allegations of mistreatment a joke.
The Central Park Conservancy, the non-profit organisation that manages Central Park and supports the ban, said that over the past 13 months alone there had been seven 'horse-related incidents'.
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The seven-incident figure is the strongest pro-ban fact, but it arrives from a group that supports the ban and uses the broad label 'horse-related'.
The broad label doesn't make the drivers' no-risk claim convincing. In May, a spooked horse hit another carriage, tipped it over, and sent a driver to hospital.