CONLEY COMMENTARY (WSAU) – In my late, great hometown of New York CIty, there’s been a tawdry fight over horse drawn carriage rides in Central Park.
They are a favorite for out-of-town tourists in the fall. For $180 you can ride in an ornate horse drawn carriage and see the fall colors in the park for an hour. The hand-carved wooden carriages look straight out of the wedding scene from The Princess Bride. The horses are spectacular, fully turned out in fancy regalia and perfectly clean tacks. These are not broken down bumpkin horses. They are majestic animals, who are fed and watered after each trip.
But when socialist Bill De Blaso ran for mayor, he was promised a big campaign donation from an animal rights group if he would shut the horse carriages down. He took the money. The horse rides continue only because of lawsuits and public support of the horses.
Now Mayor Zohran Mandami has announced an agreement with New York City Council president Julie Menin. An ordinance to ban horse drawn carriages will come later this month. The horse rides will be phased out by 2028.
The mayor claims the carriages have become unpopular after a horse bolted and trampled an 18-year-old tourist. Another horse collapsed while working last summer. Both are tragedies. But also realize a man or woman who makes their living from carriage rides has no incentive to abuse their animal. I’ve been around horses all my life. These horses are well cared for. No polling exists on how New Yorkers feel about the horses. Many visitors to Central Park stop and “visit” the animals between runs.
The dirty secret is the land that the horse stables sit on. It was widely reported that Mayor De Blasio had a deal with developers. Building anything in Central Park is impossible unless you are replacing an existing building. Mayor Mandami must have such a sweet redevelopment deal that he could afford to cut the city council president in on it. He may be a socialist, but for his personal finances he’s as much as a capitalist as they come.
A 160 year New York tradition will ride off into the sunset. Long Live the People’s Republic of New York!
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