Runaway Horse Drags Carriage Around Central Park, Hits Cab
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- A carriage horse broke loose from its reins from and ran around Central Park Monday afternoon, only stopping when the carriage got caught in the door of a taxi.
Around 5:45 p.m., the carriage horse, named Pumpkin, broke out of its bridle and started running with the carriage through Central Park, according to a Teamsters representative. There were no passengers or driver onboard.
The horse followed its usual route along the roads within Central Park, and exited the park at Fifth Avenue and 59th Street where a group of horse carriage drivers were waiting to corral the animal, the representative said.
The horse slowed down and finally stopped when the carriage got caught on an open door, the representative said.
At that point, Pumpkin was re-bridled and taken back to the stable, the representative said.
A photo released by the Teamsters showed Pumpkin in a stable after the incident.
An industry spokesman said the incident was handled well.
"Neither the horse or any people were injured in today's incident," said carriage driver and industry spokesman Stephen Malone. "What you saw is the industry's professionalism. We knew where the horse would go, corralled it, and brought it back to the stable."
But the group New Yorkers for Clean, Livable and Safe Streets, which is urging a ban on horse carriages, said the incident amounted to evidence that the carriages do not belong in New York City.
"Carriage horses and busy New York City streets simply don't mix," NYCLASS said in a statement. "This is just the latest instance that shows how unsafe horse carriages can be. It's time to retire the carriage horses and replace them with something that doesn't spook or dart dangerously through traffic and pedestrians."
Mayor Bill de Blasio wanted to ban the horses during his first week in office, but said in April that he expects the City Council to ban the practice by year's end.
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