Fate of famed NYC carriage horses may be set

NEW YORK -- Carriage horses, a longtime tourist draw here, would be confined to Central Park but their operators would be allowed to stay in business under a preliminary agreement announced Sunday night.

Mayor Bill de Blasio, City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito and several carriage worker representatives released a joint statement about the plan, reports CBS New York.

"We are pleased to have reached an agreement in concept on the future of New York's horse carriage industry. We look forward to working together on the final details of this legislation and getting this passed," the statement said.

According to city officials, the plan would only allow carriage horses around the grounds of Central Park, with a new stable to be built on premises. The horses would be banned elsewhere in the city.

The number of licensed carriage horses would drop from 180 to 110 by the end of the year to accommodate the size of the new stable.

The new plan also allows carriage drivers to charge more for rides during the winter holiday season and on Valentine's Day.

Carriage horses have been a hotly contested issue between the de Blasio administration, the horse carriage industry and animal activists, CBS New York notes.

Animal rights advocates have been fighting to get the carriages banned entirely, and de Blasio had pledged to end the popular carriage rides in favor of electric old-time style cars that would still appeal to tourists.