Carriage Industry Banned From Working Horses In Blistering Heat

CENTRAL PARK, NY — New York City lawmakers passed new regulations on the city's horse carriage industry Wednesday as part of a wide-ranging package of bills covering numerous topics such as the treatment of animals, street safety and the private trash hauling industry.

Under the new law, carriage drivers will be prohibited from working their steeds in 90-degree temperatures or in 80-degree temperatures with an equine heat index exceeding 150. The equine heat index is calculated by taking the sum of the temperature and the relative humidity, according to the legislation.

Advocates for the bill say it will keep horses out of dangerous working conditions, but detractors say it's another misguided attempt by city officials to put an end to the carriage industry. The bill will be especially harmful during the carriage industry's peak summer season, driver and industry spokesperson Christina Hansen said.

"The people who wrote the heat index portion of the bill got it completely backwards... It seems the sole purpose of the bill is to keep horses from giving carriage rides and to put us out of business," Hansen said in a statement.

The carriage driver maintains that the city's proposed equine heat index is a "made up" and unscientific measure to determine healthy working conditions for New York City horses. The industry cites objections to using heat index by the Federation Equestre International, an international body governing equestrian competition, and some equine veterinarians.

Carriage driver Steve Malone described the City Council's bill not as a heat safety measure, but as a "work stoppage bill." Under the new rules, there would have been at least 20 additional heat suspensions in 2018 and 2019, putting the total number of suspensions in the 40s. Carriage drivers say that missing 40 to 50 days of work could mean doom for the industry.

Animal rights activists from the organization NYCLASS bristled at the drivers' claims that the equine heat index is "unscientific." Edita Birnkrant, the organization's executive director, said that the regulations passed in the new bill mirror the recommendations of the American Association of Equine Practitioners — a group that counts more than 9,000 equine veterinarians as members. Abient humidity is one of the most important factors when considering a horse's danger for conditions such as heat stroke, Birnkrant said.

The NYCLASS executive director said the carriage drivers' opposition to the new bill is reflective of the industry's opposition to any attempt at regulation since the industry was first regulated by the city council in the 1980s.

"It's almost 2020, the attitude that you can just treat animals however you want and for whatever purpose doesn't fly anymore," Birnkrant said. "We're a compassionate society and that means you treat animals with kindness and compassion — and there's nothing compassionate about forcing horses to pull 1,000 pounds in a heat wave.

City Councilmember Keith Powers was the lead sponsor on the bill, which had 21 total sponsors. Council Speaker Corey Johnson described Wednesday as a "historic day for animals" in New York City as the council passed a number of new bills including a ban on the production and sale of foie gras and the creation of a first-in-the-nation Office of Animal Welfare.