Another Horse Down in Central Park

Last Friday Smoothie, a 13-year-old carriage horse in New York City’s Central Park, was spooked by the loud drum of a nearby street performer. She broke free and "ran nearly a block along the sidewalk on the southern edge of the park before colliding with the tree," said the ASPCA’s Joseph Pentangelo, Assistant Director, Humane Law Enforcement. Not only did the poor mare die, but her frantic galloping startled a second horse, who broke free and crashed into a Mercedes on the street. The driver was unharmed, and so was the second horse.

Another scared Central Park horse died only months ago. Both stories received plenty of attention from the media and otherwise. Carriage drivers are clamoring for better conditions for their horses, while New Yorkers are clamoring for the horses to receive better treatment from the carriage horse industry. Interesting timing, given the press release the ASPCA issued just a couple of weeks ago:

"The Audit Report points to, among other things, the lack of required number of inspections of horse-drawn carriages, an absence of veterinary examinations in the field, and the presence of too many passengers in carriages. The lack of designated formal hack stands also results in horses who must often stand in
their own waste without shade or water. Eleven recommendations were made in the report to address the findings, including how the oversight for the monitoring of such guidelines will be established in the future."

To read up on the ASPCA's involvement with horses, visit: http://www.aspca.org/pro_equinecruelty.