Seen At 11

Carriage Horse Industry At A Crossroads

CBS 2 HD Hidden Camera Video Shows Living Conditions

NEW YORK (CBS) ― A romantic carriage ride, with one of the city's 68 horse-drawn carriages, has been a Big Apple attraction, drawing tourists and natives alike for almost 100 years.

But with mounting criticism and recent horse deaths, we raise the question, should this New York tradition come to an end? CBS 2 HD recently went beyond the streets, into the stables and inside the debate.

"Roger," a 13-year-old carriage horse who works at Central Park and lives at Manhattan's Shamrock Stable, is not a bit shy as evidenced by the day he stuck his nose right into a CBS 2 HD camera lens.

"He's going to be a great friend of yours now," said Ian McKeever, operator of Shamrock and a spokesman for the horse-drawn carriage industry.

McKeever is fed up with hearing stories of alleged abuse of the animals by the workers in the horse-drawn carriage community.

"People saying we don't feed them or we don't give them water, it's complete rubbish," McKeever said. "We're fed up with people telling me that I don't take care for my horse. I love my horse."

But critics charge city streets aren't an ideal setting. Over the last 19 months, three horses from other stables have died, two in traffic accidents and one from a potential heart attack. That has many calling for the attraction to be reined in.

"I'm surprised there have not been more accidents," animal activist Elizabeth Forel said.

Added NYC Councilman Tony Avella, D-Queens: "I'm in the process of drawing up legislation to ban the horse drawn carriages."

The stables that house Manhattan's carriage horses are also under the microscope. So, with a hidden camera, CBS 2 HD visited all five. In four, the conditions looked good, but at one, West Side Livery, the living quarters appeared questionable.

Equine veterinarian Elizabeth Kilgallon looked at the video for CBS 2 HD and says at West Side some of the horses look crammed into standing stalls so tight they can't turn around or lie down. The horses also seemed to be standing in their own urine, manure and on very little bedding.

"I think the bare legal requirements have been met, but I don't think this is the best way for them to live," Kilgallon said.

The ASPCA, which performs voluntary inspections, visited West Side Livery this year and did not issue any summons, finding the stable met "minimum standards."

West Side Livery had no comment.

By comparison, on a tour of Shamrock Stable, McKeever showed us extra wide stalls with lots of bedding, and told us the horses get four months "farm vacation" every year.

"I want you to understand that we have an impeccable record with the agencies that are in charge of us," McKeever said.

And what about those city agencies?

"They clearly have not done the job they are supposed to," NYC Comptroller Bill Thompson said.

Thompson said it's the two city agencies assigned to oversee the horses that are not doing their jobs.

"The Department of Health is supposed to be doing the inspections," Thompson said. "Well, oops, they're not really doing that."

After the death of "Smoothie" in September, McKeever says his group asked the city for extra safety measures, like posts to secure the horses along heavily traveled Central Park South, but the city has yet to take action.

"They do a good job issuing licenses but other than that, the oversight, forget it," Thompson said.

The Department of Health told CBS 2 HD a long-awaited advisory board has been appointed and will convene later this week.

Councilman Avella, seeking a complete ban of the industry, said his legislation will be introduced as early as December.

What about the possibility of housing the horses in Central Park? The Parks Department told us they have no such plans.

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